Year 6 are rehearsing a play for all children to take part, there is a stage for the actors to act on and there is a wheelchair user in the play. This play is the end of "school" play for the children as they all go off to secondary school next September. The school always make a big issue of the play. It is The Main Event in the school year.

The school have tried to get the wheelchair user onto the stage but decided they could not do so safely.

Plan B is for the wheelchair used to play her part at ground level, this means she will not be seen by the audience who are seated at the same level. (Especially anyone behind the first row of seats.

A couple of other kids have also been told they will stay at ground level during their acting parts. (This is just a token gesture to make it look like inclusion).

The wheelchair user has expressed a wish to play her part on the stage, just like everyone else.

The wheelchair user's parents have asked to be kept advised of the arrangements and the school have agreed to do so, however the school has gone ahead with their plans without consulting the parents. (This has gone on right through the years from 3 to 6, always an issue when the parents get to know something and then the proverbial hits the fan). The play is on in about four weeks time, rehearsals have been ongoing for more than a month..

Q1. Has the school a duty to do more to involve the wheelchair user in the same way as the majority of the other kids?

Q2. How much effort should the school be putting in to the inclusion of the wheelchair user?

Q3. If the wheelchair user is unable to access the stage should the play be performed at ground level?

Q4. What action is available for the wheelchair user and parents to get a solution to this? (Or is it just take it on the chin?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Firesafety101 - what methods have been tried to get the wheelchair user onto the stage? Did they include methods for lifting the the girl and her wheelchair separately rather than together? One factor which may affect this is the girl's weight and size. Also, what do the girl and her parents suggest or think is appropriate? In addition, what is the approximate height of the stage?

During my 25 years with a local authority until recently dealing mostly with its schools I was never asked about the matter you raise. A fair number of the schools had pupils in wheelchairs and, like all other schools, would have events during each school year which involved pupils on stages. As I guess that such schools made their own arrangements which proved reasonably satisfactory to all concerned, my successor might be willing to make some enquiries about the nature of such arrangements. Also, no doubt, other forum users who work with schools will be responding with constructive responses to this topic.

Part of my work is with schools and my experience tells me that all efforts are made to include, as naturally as possible, wheelchair users.

Most staging in schools require the use of steps, usually in the wings, to gain access to the stage (some have front access as well).

It is a question of how you get the wheel chair and the child up the steps and onto the edge of the stage (in the wings) whilst maintaining the child's dignity. Also control measures to ensure that inadvertently the child and wheelchair do not fall from the apron or sides of the stage.

Obviously some sort of hoist or ramp is called for but for a one off play I am minded of the phrase: All reasonable practical steps.

Without knowing the site I cannot suggest a solution.

Rich

My suggestion above was based on the potential complexity of productions on these smaller stages. Players often exit and re-enter several times in a performance, and (with all due respect to the disabled child) there is often no room for obstruction of the wings.

Its the last play in that school, the child is moving on to secondary school.

If I was that girls parent I'm telling you everthing possible would be done to ensure my child was in that play.

Talk to the parents, and as suggested above get them in early, lift chair/ girl seperate. Dont know how big the school is, or how big the stage is, but I'm sure an additional section can be added to the wings to help with space issues.

Thanks all.

The stage is a temporary boxy type affair and the kids access via large box steps at the front. Every performer will enter/exit the stage a number of times during the play.

They have tried assisting the child up the steps but she cannot get up.

The school have now decided to have a two height stage with some of the actors remaining at floor level. This included the wheelchair user.

IMPO they should be doing more to include - what they are doing is to actually exclude more children who would have been on the stage if it was not for the wheelchair user.

Chris

Have to say I totally agree. The stage is either suitable for ALL or suitable for none. The Head of this school should be hanging their head in shame at such crass action.

Bob

All these people that think the school should just pop out and hire (or buy) a super new stage system, or grandstand seating system, can they explain something for me:

Where does the money to do this come from?

Quite agree Seabee81! Sensible.

Whether this is a legitimate H&S issue or not means nothing to a kid who wants to be included in the last play of their current school. The question has been asked and there's plenty of folks who want to offer some advice on how this can be resolved. If we can't spend a couple of minutes thinking how this can happen then its a poor indication of our safety culture as H&S professionals.
This is about inclusion and enabling someone who has mobility issues to feel like they are a part of the event without feeling like they're a burden on either the school or their classmates (which could be an issue with those who, lets face it, have been 'demoted' to not stand on the stage).

Yes, the organisors should hang their heads in shame on this one. it's not about it being unsafe, its about it falling into the 'too difficult' category and making excuses as to why something cannot be done.

If it's a wooden block stage then honestly how hard/expensive would it be to obtain a suitable ramp? I bet there's a few places that would be more than willing to donate something that would fit the bill (local authority or mobility specialist who fit this type of thing day in, day out).

The other far easier alternative would be to have the play at ground level and those in the audience who want/need a better view can stand at the back.

The reason this is relevant to Health & Safety is that, like many H&S issues, it sounds like the whole event has been planned and how this young lady was to be included is an afterthought. Presuming that she hasn't recently joined the school or recently become a wheelchair user it is likely that the school has known for sometime that this was going to be an issue. So you design the event accordingly. It was mentioned that the problem is that it isn't just getting her onto the stage but that there are a number of exits/entries - so you chose/write the play so that this isn't necessary. What have they done for previous events using the stage. The pupils are Y6 so I presume they have used the stage before.

The level of adjustments required under the Equality Act 2010 are fairly high and hiring into suitable staging would likely come under this.

I disagree - school budgets are sufficiently tight that hiring in a stage would very possibly mean cancelling of the performance instead. If the school doesn't have the money it just doesn't have the money. I don't think an 'adjustment' that is cancel an annual event is a reasonable adjustment.

One other approach may have been to have incorporated the arrival and departure of this child onto the stage into the plot of the play? Lots of opportunity to use the play to raise awareness etc and allow the child to play an effective and active part in what is an exciting event for most kids. (and parents of course)
A win-win approach surely and at little or no cost.

p48

As with many of the topics which appear on this forum, we don't really know the full details, so surely it's best not to criticise the school organisers as Nlivesey suggests, even though he/she may be correct about mis/perceptions by the school and others about safety and practicability, etc. Also, if the school is a local authority one, it should have access to advisers regarding disability, inclusion and of course OS&H. Furthermore, it's most unlikely that the situation is unique - various other schools in the UK will have pupils who use wheelchairs and will have dealt with or are dealing with similar situations. From working with many headteachers over some 25 years I can confirm that they have a formidable myriad of matters to manage - including OFSTED, constantly shifting curriculums and awkward parents of pupils to name but a few. Thus, most if not all headteachers and similar managers tend also to work in the evenings, at weekends and during school holidays in order to keep up with the demands on them.

Also this topic is as relevant and valid as many of the other topics which appear on this forum and, I dare suggest, more useful and pertinent than some of the stuff which gets raised and discussed! Being even more provocative, I reckon there's no such thing as pure OS&H. Our profession, like many others, is an eclectic one and draws on many different disciplines including psychology, engineering and law. Try thinking beyond the needs/wishes of one young pupil for a transient event. This topic could be extended to include teachers with impaired mobility who need to access modular stages at their schools on a fairly regular basis. Also, wasn't there a monumental blunder/oversight some years ago during a sports award ceremony on live TV? I heard but didn't see that Dame Tanni Grey Thompson, winner of 11 Paralympic gold medals, was announced as the recipient of a sport award and then found that nobody had considered how she would access the stage in her wheelchair to be presented with the award!

Graham

Heavy workload means you can fail in statutory duties - I think many directors fancy that defence when the HSE come round.

Yes the child will survive because he/she has to. It comes with the patch of disability you have to smile at a few crumbs from the table of the able. Believe me also LAs can be among the worst for accessibility along with the NHS. Come to my town and I will show you inaccessible, almost, central library, inaccessible, almost, outpatients and inaccessible x ray departments

Bob

SP - we don't know whether the stage modules are proprietary ones, i.e. ones bought from a commercial manufacturer/supplier, or non-commercial ones made for the school e.g. by some parents or perhaps the local secondary school or college, and when the school first used them. Whatever their age and source, there's not a lot involved in the design of such modules - they just have to be sufficiently sturdy and connectable to serve their simple purpose of providing a raised platform, and no doubt with one or more matching sets of steps for access. In the past, access by mobility-impaired people to such platforms and many other locations, e.g. public buildings of the sort mentioned by boblewis, simply wasn't considered. However, attitudes are changing for the better and, aided by the Equality Act (and the Disability Discrimination Act before it), arrangements are gradually improving - though there's a long way to go.

An additional benefit of a ramp of the sort I suggested - if it is feasible - is that it could also be used for getting large or heavy items onto and off the stage if required. I've often found that when building alterations are made to improve access for mobility impaired people, others also benefit. Many of the schools I used to deal with incorporated internal and external steps and I perhaps got a reputation for suggesting during visits that they be replaced by ramps. Years ago I read a cynical comment in a safety magazine that steps comprised an architect's unwitting way of inducing people to trip or stumble. Therefore, where it is feasible to do so, replacing one or several steps with a ramp makes the change of height easier for everybody to negotiate, not just people with mobility impairment. Also, cleaners and janitors will appreciate the ability to move heavy awkward items like floor polishing machines around buildings without having to carry them up and down steps.

Many of the schools I used to deal with either originally had steps at their building main entrances. Over the years most of them took action to either wholly or partially replace such steps with ramps. The people who regularly deliver loads of photocopier paper to schools certainly appreciate the ones with ramped front entrances because they can swiftly and easily convey the heavy boxes from their vans usually using 2-wheel porter type trolleys. Also, as schools are often used as polling stations during elections, those with ramped entrances are readily accessible to all voters, including ones with mobility impairment or simply with poor balance through old age. The election managers don't have to arrange to provide temporary metal ramps of the sort which are now standard for venues with stepped access. Having run several polling stations where temporary metal ramps had to be used, I can confirm that polling station staff and caretakers will also appreciate locations where permanent ramps have eliminated the need to deal with temporary ones.

Looks like I started an interesting debate, thanks for all the replies and some very good suggestions.
The LEA have been asked to help, they have access officers who have questioned the headteacher who has replied that the play was always planned to have some kids at ground level and some on the stage.

I know this to be untrue as they tried to get the girl onto the stage but failed then they went for this option.

I know that the access officer has offered to loan the school a temporary ramp, and/or a “stair climber”.

The school has declined these two offers as they say their use would be detrimental to the performance.

There are now fifteen children who will play their parts on ground level – that’s fifteen children denied access to the stage, so fifteen sets of parents who all need to occupy the front row, there are not that many seats in a row!

The child is not “at work” so Equality Act does not apply to her, they have not said that but that is what they think, if it was a teacher who was disabled they Act would apply.

The Chair of the school governors has been written to for help, I’ll keep you all informed.

The girl has been at the school since age five, now she is ten. The school well know her disabilities and know she cannot climb steps.
If she plays her part at ground level she will be seated. All other kids can stand.

The parents requested to be involved in a risk assessment for the play well in advance of the preparations, their offer was ignored.

The Equality Act absolutely DOES apply to a school and their treatment of pupils. I would suggest the school takes a look at the Equality & Human Rights Commission's website if that is the line they are taking!

Oooops

........"you feel that it what they are implying"......

should have been........."you feel that is what you feel they are implying"..........

Smich

if the school simply complied your ooopsies would disappear:-)

Firesafety

I cannot believe that you stated something so crass as to say that the Equality Act only applies at work. It applies as others have said - At All Times. This school really does need an in depth ofsted investigation to look at the potential discriminatory attitudes of staff. As I say my all terrain wheelchair is available to test out this school's accessibility and I will happily audit its compliance in the management field also.

Bob