Reasonable adjustments

The council has produced guidance which sets out expectations on schools and strategies and support available to support children with additional needs through ordinarily available provision (OAP).

The term 'ordinarily available provision' comes from the SEND Code of Practice (GOV.UK) and refers to the support that mainstream schools or settings should be able to provide for a child or young person through their agreed funding and resource arrangements.

School's must make reasonable adjustments for all activities and the decisions that are made by teachers and staff including:

• admissions
• exclusions
• access to school trips
• school facilities
• help and support in school
• learning activities and materials.

Colleges and other education placements such as traineeships and apprenticeships, have a legal duty to try to remove the barriers faced by an individual because of disability.

Reasonable adjustments help make sure the individual gets the same access to education/opportunities as anyone else. The way in which each education or training provider puts in place reasonable adjustments and access arrangements will be contained in their policies and guidelines.

When a young person is disadvantaged by a practice or rule because of their disability or the failure to provide an aid, and it is reasonable to make the changes or provide the aid to remove the disadvantage they must do it.

This relates to all education and training providers. The law sets out in detail what services must do and this includes making reasonable adjustments where applicable.

Anyone can ask for adjustments if they need them. But to have legal rights to reasonable adjustments, your child will need to be defined as 'disabled' under the Equality Act 2010 (GOV.UK).

• Citizens Advice has information on how to check if you are disabled under the Equality Act.

Speak to the school / educational setting about:

• your child’s additional needs
• the impact it has on their life, including education
• what adjustments could be made to help your child such as a BSL interpreter, specialist equipment like an induction loop or an adapted keyboard.

If your child doesn’t have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan), and  requires adjustments or adaptations you can request these from your education/training provider.

You may need to follow certain procedures and/ or provide evidence of your needs, for example an educational psychologist's report.

If you have an EHC Plan the provider and the council have certain legal duties to make sure the provision set out in the EHC Plan is being delivered.

The council will provide a copy of your child’s EHC Plan to the provider and the case officer can discuss with them how they can meet your child’s needs and what provision is needed including reasonable adjustments.

If the placement/ setting is named in your child’s EHC Plan they have a legal duty to deliver the provision. If they are not able to do this, they must let you and the LA know and explain why, they would do this through an EHC Plan review.

Check annual review of EHCP for details on this process.

Slough SENDIASS can support parents/carers and young people to ask for reasonable adjustments or raise a concern. Call Slough SENDIASS on 01753 787693 or email sendiass@slough.gov.uk.

Discrimination is when someone treats your child differently or unfairly because of their needs, age, disability, gender, gender identity, religion or beliefs, race, skin colour or where they were born or their sexuality.

If you believe your child/young person is being discriminated against by their school because of their needs and/ or disability, you should follow the steps laid out on GOV.UK - Complain about a school (disability discrimination).