Uniform and Reasonable Adjustments
As we head into the Summer Holidays, and for those who have already broken up, there's a collective sigh of relief for many parents and children as the pressures of the school day come to a halt for six weeks. And for families where the children have barriers to learning, there's a reprieve from the daily "well you must get them in". We all stand down, we relax.
That is until it's time to buy new uniform for September. For children with sensory processing differences, uniform can be a considerable issue. Collars are too stiff, buttons too tricky, ties too restrictive, labels too tickly/painful/itchy. And don't even get me started on the shoes. I recall one particular Summer Holiday that involved trying on 32 different pairs of shoes. Too slippy on the heel. Too tight on the heel. Too clippy cloppy. Too tight on the toes. They dig in everywhere. Too loose. They just feel weird.
And the act of trying on clothes and shoes itself can be overwhelming. Too hot. Too much going on. Too many people around. And for each piece of clothing or pair of shoes that doesn't feel right, the sensory overwhelm increases until the inevitable happens, meltdown.
And once September starts, each morning it's a battle to put on the uniform they are supposed to wear. Uniform itself can be a significant barrier to learning. If the child is overwhelmed with the feel of the uniform, how can they possibly manage a day in school wearing it?
We have to wonder why schools are so extreme when it comes to uniform. Why they are so insistent on it being right, even if that means that the child is therefore unable to access school at all?
And yet, under the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 and under the Equality Act 2010, all schools and education authorities have a duty to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils. The duty is to take such steps as it is reasonable to have to take to avoid the substantial disadvantage to a disabled person.
I mean, it's a bit woolly right? Who decides what constitutes what is substantial? Actually "substantial" is defined as being anything more than minor or trivial.
If your child cannot attend school, or experiences meltdowns and distress throughout the school day, because of the feel of a shirt collar, this would almost certainly constitute a substantial disadvantage.
Know your rights, ask for reasonable adjustments.
If you need support with this or any other barriers to attendance (also known as "school refusal"), please join us:
And check out Not Fine in School:
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