Recently, the BBC published an alarming article that identified a growing gap between the support required for ASN pupils and what schools are currently able to deliver due to limited support staff, resources, and limited guidance. The article also points out that almost 300,000 Scottish school pupils (about 43% overall) are categorised as ASN, with the vast majority not even in specialist schooling, but are in mainstream schools.
While the article (and the statistics therein) paint a bleak picture of unsupported students, unable to engage with their education and thus integrate into our future workforce, we would like to offer a solution-focused perspective, to highlight how easily the problems mentioned could be fixed, and how schools can position themselves to offer a bright future to ASN and other disabled students.
But first, some context: Our consultancy has been delivering accessibility audits and Accessibility Plans to (quite literally) thousands of public schools for two and a half decades and continue to do so successfully with each passing year. From our perspective, it’s not as simple as schools being underfunded and cash-strapped, nor is it an issue of inclusive policy, as the writer correctly points out. The problem instead is that schools are not using what resources they do have effectively, and when problems do arise, a plan isn’t in place to correctly address them.
What is the Solution?
Where problems for ASN students are identified, the solutions are almost always reactive, as opposed to proactive and planned, although this is also true for students with all manner of disabilities. For the most unprepared schools (or those who do not annually consult accessibility auditors), they might only provide proper support for students with dyslexia or autism when they are already falling behind. They might only fix a building barrier or install a wheelchair only after a parent complaint. They might only consider the repercussions of a PE lesson for a child with ataxia when such a student arrives through their gates for the first time.
When working with our clients, we often find that staff do not necessarily need additional funding to support these students. Instead, the widening gap between policy and practice is often due to the absence of effective disability action plans, which are specifically designed to identify many of the issues discussed in this BBC article.
For instance, where staff shortages occur, an access audit helps prioritise where support staff are most needed. Where there are funding issues and tightening budgets, an action plan ensures that what money is available can be spent strategically. Where support is inconsistent, audits and action plans provide clear, structured approaches. They prepare schools to meet challenges proactively by outlining goals, setting timelines for execution, and embedding accountability, not just policy
How do Accessibility Audits & Action Plans help schools?
An accessibility audit does more than just remove barriers for ASN and other disabled students; it also gives teachers clear guidance on protocols, reducing uncertainty and enabling them to support all pupils effectively. Furthermore, audits help local authorities identify exactly how to fulfil their legal duties under the Equality Act, ensuring support is efficient, compliant, and less reliant on reactive measures that can create stress.
The issue is not simply a lack of resources, as the article suggests, but rather a lack of structured planning. Without a clear action plan, the gaps identified are only likely to grow over time. While the increasing number of students with complex needs, due to neurodivergence, communication challenges, dysregulation, or developmental delays, requires significant attention from teachers, the solutions rarely depend solely on additional resources, and are not so out of reach. A well-designed disability action plan will do more than remove physical or procedural barriers, it ensures disabled and ASN students can fully engage and that teachers are empowered to deliver education in a way that suits them.
For example:
Curriculum differentiation: Action plans identify the need to adapt lesson materials, such as providing simplified texts, visual aids, or assistive technology, so students with dyslexia, communication difficulties, or learning delays can access the same syllabus content as their peers.
Assessment access: Audits highlight where exam accommodations or alternative assessment methods are required, ensuring students can demonstrate their learning without being unfairly disadvantaged.
Lesson participation: By pinpointing classroom layout barriers, required support staff, or timetable adjustments, audits help students actively participate in lessons rather than falling behind.
Syllabuses are often rigid and may not always be appropriate for certain students, but with proactive planning and the right strategies, schools can easily adapt teaching and assessment methods to ensure all pupils can access and succeed in their curriculum. By implementing regular accessibility audits alongside comprehensive disability action plans, schools can not only satisfy their legal obligations but also create truly inclusive environments in which every pupil can thrive academically, socially, and personally.
The Takeaway
Bottom line; there is no pretending that audits and Action Plans do require an initial investment on part of councils, authorities, and education departments, but over time they do pay for themselves by streamlining support, ensuring consistency, and improving outcomes for students and staff. And if that wasn’t the case, there would be nothing, ultimately, to explain why we have been able to provide education audit as a service for as long as we have.
Accessibility audits and action plans are not miracle cures to the issues schools are facing currently, but they do provide the essential framework schools need to implement education plans effectively. Our goal is to make it easier for schools to take the first proactive step towards creating a fully inclusive environment, ensuring every student can access the curriculum and thrive.