Child
Agreed by
Date
Environment
- Seat near natural light, away from overhead fluorescents
- Seat at the edge or back, with a clear view of the door
- Turn off half the overhead lights
- Reduce visual clutter around their working area
- Allow ear defenders or earplugs, without asking permission each time
- Allow a cap or sunglasses indoors
- Wobble cushion or alternative seating
- Advance warning of fire alarms and drills where possible
Movement and regulation
- Movement breaks at fixed intervals
- A legitimate errand when they need to move
- Standing to work
- Heavy work (carrying, pushing, stacking) before demanding tasks
- Fidget item permitted and not confiscated
- Stimming permitted without comment
- Chewing / water bottle permitted
Instructions and communication
- One step at a time
- Written as well as spoken
- Instruction repeated individually after the whole-class version
- Ten seconds of silence after a question before rephrasing
- Literal phrasing; avoid hints, sarcasm and rhetorical questions
- Not phrased as a question if it isn't optional
- Warning before being called on, or not called on at all
- Alternative to reading aloud
- Written response accepted instead of verbal
Work and recording
- Reduced quantity, same level
- Copying from the board reduced or eliminated — provide the text
- Typing / scribe / voice notes accepted
- Task broken into steps on a checklist
- First step started alongside them
- Model or photo of the finished outcome provided
- Visible countdown timer rather than "you have ten minutes"
- Extra time
- Homework recorded by staff, not by the pupil
- Handwriting not assessed where dyspraxia / DCD is a factor
Structure and change
- Visual timetable, now-and-next
- Advance notice of changes, in writing
- Change named explicitly when unavoidable
- Consistent seating plan
- Cover staff briefed via the pupil passport
- Transitions signalled in advance
Exit and safe space
- Exit card usable without explanation or permission
- Named safe space, agreed in advance
- Named trusted adult available
- Permission to leave lessons two minutes early
- No requirement to explain or apologise while dysregulated
Unstructured time
- Alternative to the canteen
- Somewhere to go at break and lunch
- Structured lunchtime option (club, library, job)
- Support at the start and end of the day
- Alternative arrangement for assembly
Social and pastoral
- Group work optional, or small groups only
- Partner chosen in advance rather than "find a partner"
- Not required to make eye contact
- Public praise avoided if it causes distress
- Corrections given privately
- Buddy or peer support arrangement
Attendance and wellbeing
- Late start to avoid the corridor
- Part-time or graduated timetable, with review dates
- Attendance certificates and rewards withheld if they cause shame
- Absence pattern reviewed for cause, not just recorded
- Regular check-in with a named adult
PE, practical and trips
- Alternative to changing in the communal changing room
- Modified kit
- Warning about noise levels in the hall or workshop
- Advance information and photos before trips
- Named adult and exit plan for off-site activity
Not adjustments — please avoid
- Removing movement, breaks or sensory equipment as a sanction
- Withholding the child's interest as leverage
- Insisting on eye contact
- Repeating a demand more firmly during distress
- Requiring an immediate verbal explanation after an incident
- Reward charts where they trigger avoidance
- "Everyone else manages"
Review date
Shared with
- All subject staff
- Cover
- TAs
- Home
- Pupil
Schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the SEND Code of Practice that apply whether or not a child has a diagnosis. For advice on your specific situation, contact SENDIASS or IPSEA.