steps taken to prevent students with disabilities from being treated less favourably than other students

Reasonable adjustments are changes made to ensure that disabled students can participate in their education and enjoy all the facilities that a school provides. DAES recognises its duty to make reasonable adjustments to avoid putting disabled students at a substantial disadvantage compared to their non-disabled peers. This applies to all provisions, criteria and practices, and indeed every aspect of a school’s daily operations – exclusion and discipline policies, physical features (such as entrances and exits), toilets, lighting, flooring and furniture, auxiliary aids and services (such as the provision of supportive equipment or specialist staff). These reasonable adjustments are personalised to the presenting needs of each student. For example a reasonable adjustments for an autistic student might involve allowing them to wear ear defenders, or a slightly modified school uniform to accommodate sensory sensitivities. Other students may require the use of a ‘quiet’ area at social times or separate work station within the classroom. Many students with a disability may need additional forms of support if they’re to fully take part in school trips; this might include additional persons to accompany then, risk assessments or additional visits to the site prior to the visit to ensure the accessibility.