Disability discrimination by schools

It’s unlawful for an education provider to treat disabled students less favourably compared to other students. At Tees we will help ensure that your child has equal access to education and the provision of services.

Polly Kerr, Cambridge

Polly Kerr, family and school specialist in Royston

The Equality Act 2010 makes it illegal to discriminate against a pupil on the grounds of their disability and schools must ensure all pupils have equal access to their provision. However, despite this legal protection, some parents feel their children are not getting access to the education that they have a right to – enshrined by law.

Our services

If you feel your child is not being given access to educational services due to a disability we can help you by:

clarifying whether your child has a disability that is defined by the Equality Act and whether discrimination has taken place
helping you to make a complaint against the school
taking your case to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal.
advising you on the time limits (usually six months from when the discrimination is alleged to have occurred)
discussing the options for what you want to achieve, for example, do you want the school to change its policy, train its staff better or an apology – or all three!
representing you at a formal hearing to discuss a parent’s claims of a school violating the provisions of the Equality Act.

What responsibilities does a school have towards a disabled child?

The Equality Act, covers everything a school must do to make sure a child has equal access to the education. This includes removing obstacles, making adjustments to facilities or policies and providing additional staff to support the child. The law says that reasonable adjustments should be made by the school.