Reasonable adjustments

The offer of separate workstations for short intervals throughout the day (this is not to be the child’s main learning place) for pupils to learn at or refocus. This should be accessible all day and could be:

• An office.
• A desk just outside of the classroom.
• A space in another classroom.
• A zoned section of a larger room.
• An outside space such as an outdoor shelter or tent.
• A lone desk inside the classroom, away from other tables and distractions.

Access to fidget/ sensory toys, movement breaks or ear defenders. These must be kept in an agreed accessible and safe place where pupils can access them as needed. Pupils with social emotional and mental health needs are more likely to need to know that their belongings and resources are safe to support regulation and emotional safety.

• A student with SEMH needs may request to wear a hoodie as this gives them the opportunity to cover their head or face if they are feeling vulnerable.
• Some pupils may have sensory difficulties around particular materials such as clothing labels or fastenings on shoes which reasonable adjustments need to be accepted for.
• Staff will allow pupils to look down, avoid eye contact and recognise pupils’ social communication needs.
• Sensory trail / sensory diet should be considered.

Physical activities could include kicking a football around the playground, climbing a climbing frame or taking an object from a classroom to another area of the school.

Providing pupils with equipment which allows them to interact appropriately with others and teaching them how to use this:

• Providing pupils with post-its to record ideas or questions to avoid interruptions.
• Providing whiteboards for pupils to record ideas on or to practice on before recording their ideas definitively.

Being aware of asking pupils to answer questions in front of the class without warning or not asking them to read aloud in front of their peers to allow them to continue learning without feeling anxious/ stressed.

Time in/ exit cards which enable pupils to have a few moments away to regulate before reintegrating back into their learning.

• A Time In card allows a pupil to access co-regulation support from an adult when dysregulated.
• An exit card may be used when a child is able to self-regulate and needs space and time to do so.

‘Soft Start’ to the day/ lesson which may include being greeted at the door; spending time in a room other than a classroom with a familiar member of staff; offering an emotional check in –

• “How are you feeling today?”
• “On a scale of 1-10, how are you feeling?”
• “How could we improve this by one point on the scale?”
• Checking the pupil has had breakfast.
• Going through the plan of the day and then transitioning to class when the pupil is regulated and ready.

An adjusted timetable: please note, this is not a reduced timetable, therefore, the child/young person should still be within the school building for the entirety of each day.

• Perhaps offering alternatives to whole school/ year events which include too many people for a young person to cope with or opportunities for self-directed learning.
• A slightly altered timetable may also include a slightly earlier/ later start to the school day to allow pupils to enter/ leave school away from large crowds. 

A visual timetable which allows pupils to pictorially see their plan for the day. This timetable follows that of the rest of the class but is displayed in an accessible way for pupils.

Social stories are a personalised visual approach that support pupils to understand new concepts, to make sense of social situations and to understand expectations around behaviour. They should include accessible language and focus on pupil’s strengths and needs: Social stories and comic strip conversations (autism.org.uk).

Offering opportunities to record information in different ways perhaps an adult could scribe the pupil’s words/ ideas, or the pupil could use a laptop/tablet to type.

Differentiated curriculum: Providing learners with different work to that of their peers, based on their strengths and needs. This should appropriately challenge and stretch pupils, whilst holding their needs in mind.

Within the School SEND report, schools may wish to embed a universal whole school strategy around how they respond to all pupils regardless of their needs. An example of this could be the following:

SEN 6

1. A clear seating plan (thinking strategically about where to best place individual pupils to support their academic and social and emotional skills).

2. A calm and safe environment (classrooms are welcoming. The space needs to be both physically and emotionally safe, well-decorated, light and airy and provide a sense of ownership and belonging).

3. A clear timetable (to provide consistency and containment for pupils with an awareness of notifying those impacted if change is required).

4. A fresh start each session (to enable pupils to be successful at every moment, whilst ensuring they feel welcome in every learning space no matter what the day/ session before).

5. Meet and greet in every lesson (teaching staff should greet each pupil individually welcoming them into the space and into the lesson).

6. Having strong working relationships between pupils and adults which are trusting and offer opportunities for two-way communication.