Definition
Reasonable adjustments are the changes a school or other service must make under section 20 and schedule 13 of the Equality Act 2010 to avoid putting a disabled child at a substantial disadvantage compared with peers. Examples include rest breaks, ear defenders, modified PE, exit cards, and assistive technology.
In context for parents
Key checkpoints
- A duty on schools under section 20 and schedule 13 of the Equality Act 2010 to avoid placing a disabled child at a substantial disadvantage.
- Three limbs: changes to provisions / criteria / practices; changes to physical features (narrower in schools); auxiliary aids and services.
- The duty is anticipatory: schools must consider adjustments for disabled pupils generally, not only after one is on roll.
- "Reasonable" is a flexible test weighing practicability, effectiveness, cost, resources, and disruption.
- The school's SEN Information Report (Regulation 51 SEND Regulations 2014) sets out the kinds of adjustments the school typically makes.
The duty has three limbs:
- First, changes to provisions, criteria, or practices (the school's policies).
- Second, changes to physical features (where applicable to schools, this is narrower, see schedule 10).
- Third, auxiliary aids and services.
- Schools are required to anticipate adjustments, not just respond when asked; the duty applies whether or not the school knows a specific child needs them.
"Reasonable" is a deliberately flexible test. The factors the tribunal weighs include: practicability, effectiveness, cost, the school's resources, the disruption an adjustment would cause to others, and the availability of financial or other assistance. Cost alone is rarely a successful defence; tribunals expect schools to demonstrate they considered the adjustment seriously, not that it was inconvenient.
In a Year 4 classroom, common adjustments that actually move the needle are concrete: written instructions on the board as well as spoken; a fidget tool tolerated rather than confiscated; a quiet space accessible without permission; a movement break built into the timetable; a buddy seat for assemblies; an FM/Roger system for a child with APD or hearing loss; voice typing as the everyday way the child produces written work.
Reasonable adjustments and the SEND framework operate in parallel. A child with no EHCP and no SEN Support label is still entitled to reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act if they are disabled. The school's SEN Information Report (Regulation 51, SEND Regulations 2014) should set out the kinds of adjustments the school typically makes. It is a public document and tells you what they should already be doing.
Related terms
The terms parents most often see alongside Reasonable Adjustments.
Equality Act 2010
UK-wide legislation that protects disabled children from discrimination and requires schools to make reasonable adjustments. Applies independently of, and alongside, the SEND framework.
Disability Discrimination
Unlawful treatment of a disabled child under the Equality Act 2010, including failure to make reasonable adjustments. Claims against schools are heard by the SEND Tribunal.
Individual Education Plan(IEP)
A non-statutory written plan that sets out a child's SEND targets, the support being put in place, and how progress will be measured. Largely replaced by provision maps and one-page profiles in many schools.
Provision Map
A school's record of the SEND interventions and provision in place for individuals, groups, and year groups. Used to plan, monitor, and evidence the impact of support.
Where parents ask about this
Parents usually find this page after a school has said "we can't do that, it wouldn't be fair to the other children", after a teacher has refused to allow an assistive device, or before a meeting where the parent wants a written list of agreed adjustments. Searches include "reasonable adjustments school refusal", "ear defenders classroom", and "voice typing school disability". A Beaakon SEND solicitor or advocate can read the school's SEN Information Report, identify which adjustments are unreasonably being refused, and write to the head with the legal duty referenced. Most disputes resolve at this stage without tribunal.
References
The primary legislation, statutory guidance, research, and clinical tools this page draws on.
- Equality Act 2010, section 20 and Schedule 13
- Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC): Technical Guidance for Schools in England
- The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014, regulation 51
- Children and Families Act 2014
- First-tier Tribunal (SEND): disability discrimination jurisdiction