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Dept for Education and Skills

Answer

Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to support access to mainstream inclusive education for disabled people. [224540] Margaret Hodge: The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 amended the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to cover the provision of education. The 2001 Act required local authorities (LAs) and schools not to discriminate against disabled people in their access to education for reasons relating to their disability. It also required LAs and schools to plan to increase progressively, and over time, access to schools by disabled pupils and prospective pupils. The Government's SEN Strategy: "Removing Barriers to achievement" is providing support to help schools and LAs implement these duties through the development of guidance and practical tools. These tools explain how they can make reasonable adjustments to their policies and practice to prevent discrimination, and how they can review and revise their accessibility strategies and plans. The Department is also making available £300 million through the Schools Access Initiative between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2006 to cover the first accessibility planning period. This funding is intended to support projects to improve the accessibility of mainstream schools to disabled pupils. It is for LAs to decide the schools at which projects are to be undertaken. We are encouraging schools and LAs to consider access as part of all capital building plans, including through the Building Schools for the Future programme and the recently announced 15 year capital investment programme for Primary Schools.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

432 c1340W;432 c1336W; 224540

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Access Disability Education Schools

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk