Please note: Reasonable adjustments in place in one school environment may not be possible/reasonable in another.
Physical Changes to Environment
- Specialist equipment, e.g. storage trollies, mobile trollies, ergonomic mice and keyboards.
- Specialist seating or seating supports.
- Smarter working arrangements
- Additional equipment
- New chair for a member of staff to prevent back/hip pain.
- Grab rails round a member’s classroom.
- Cover classes being sent to a member’s classroom so they didn’t have to walk all round the school.
- IBS sufferer, understanding that she may have to rush to the toilet, so room locations chosen carefully and protocol for supervising pupils if necessary.
- Access to a lift key.
- Access to disabled parking.
- Access to a telephone in member’s classroom.
- Space for wheelchair/mobility scooter.
Workload Support
- Timetabling arrangements (where possible)
- Individual Stress Risk Assessment
- Occupational Health referral
- Physiotherapy Referral
- Phased return
- Access to wellbeing/counselling.
- Longer phased return to work using accrued leave.
- Contact with Access to Work who recommended a set amount to learning assistant time to aid a member of home economics staff with preparation of food for cooking lessons.
- No cover classes on return to work while a member was recovering from a fall and they were still a bit unsteady on their feet.
- Long COVID – school ‘kept on’ supply for 5 months extra to allow phased and supported return.
- Predictable routines are important where possible.
Emotional Support/Wellbeing
- Staff Welfare Officer
- Regular support meetings with management.
- Mental Health at Work Counselling Session
- A rejig of timetable to allow a slightly later starting/earlier finishing time while still maintaining contractual obligations.
- Temporary change in contracted working hours.
- Amendment of Absence Management procedures in regard to absence triggers.
- Disability days (permitted days absence due to impact of medication).
Useful Websites:
