GOOD FOR MY RATIONALE

For those of us working in leadership and inclusion, this is big. Because what we normalize in childhood — the stories we hear, the models we follow, the power structures we internalize — becomes the foundation of how we show up later in life.
At work. In politics. In relationships.


In the section: Communication should be accessible to all:

Additionally, you should make sure that: 

-there is understanding of accessibility and its importance throughout the school or college  
-staff are trained on accessibility and can write and access content in an accessible format 
-staff know who to contact to help them make things accessible – this may be the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), IT support or the SLT digital lead


https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/education/2025/03/24/teacher-training-to-include-mandatory-placements-in-special-education/

People are being locked out of the digital world, not by choice, but by inaccessible design preventing access.

‘We design something for the needs and behaviour of people’…. We need to educate about ‘why it’s important’ and how people participate differently across our digital society. 

Accessibility is about more than just individuals, it’s about society coming together to ensure that barriers don’t exist in the first place.

 https://schoolsweek.co.uk/phillipsons-ai-revolution-what-schools-need-to-know/

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/education-secretary-gives-bett-show-2025-keynote-address

Assistive technology training speech - Bridget Phillipson:

That’s why my department has designed and delivered training sessions on assistive technology, in schools, and it’s why it’ll become part of national training for all new teachers in 2025. 

Leaders have told us that the effective use of this type of technology can have a huge impact not just on academic results but on children’s confidence in the classroom team.  

It’s so important that we get this right for children with SEND. 

So we are commissioning brand new research to see how different agencies can best come together to encourage schools to use assistive technology as effectively as possible.  

Digital Accessibility standards in schools (2022): And updated in March 2025 https://www.gov.uk/guidance/meeting-digital-and-technology-standards-in-schools-and-colleges/digital-accessibility-standards

ALSO:


In a Swiss study, fewer than 11% of documents have the minimum accessibility features needed.

Current political backdrop:

Reversal of EDI initiatives and support, AI automating accessibility checks rather than disabled people, does nothing to address ableist attitudes or raise awareness of the human experience of disability and societal barriers. 
Developers of content fixing without knowing why these fixes or features are necessary or the human impact they have. Relegates human needs into an automated process bypassing and silencing the education around disability and the voices of the disabled community- nothing about us without us.
With many support mechanisms under threat education has the potential to inject some compassion for those with disabilities back into society. 


(SteAshton WCC) Not sure if this is useful:

  1. DfE and DSIT have launched a consultation on plans to make digital standards a requirement for all schools, alongside a £45 million investment to improve connectivity. Views will be gathered on a long-term ambition for all schools and colleges to meet six core digital standards by 2030. These are:
    1. Broadband internet
    2. Wireless networks
    3. Network switches
    4. Digital leadership and governance
    5. Filtering and monitoring
    6. Cyber security

 

Happy to contribute to the consultation response if we’re doing one

 

Also here’s a link to the £45m investment https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2025/03/breaking-down-the-digital-divide-in-schools-what-you-need-to-know/#:~:text=We've%20just%20committed%20%C2%A3,technology%20is%20making%20in%20education.

 

Whilst we’ve supported getting gigabit capable broadband to schools and indeed wireless in the past, we’re not involved in this latest announcement. I’m also not clear if any schools in Worcestershire have been selected to benefit.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lit review sequence

Teach Access Repository and Facebook research link

Notes from original proposal