School smells hit disabled pupils

The survey was carried out by pupils

A survey of children with special needs and disabilities has discovered they are put off education by unexpected factors around the school.

Children carried out the survey in six primary, secondary, grammar and special schools around Belfast.

Pupils with disabilities were asked what made them feel excluded.

Some were more sensitive to noise which made the dining hall unbearable and heightened sensitivity to smell which made school toilets uncomfortable.

The report said surprisingly, children taken out of class for special tuition did not feel more excluded by that, in fact they felt more secure and welcomed in those classes.

David Ryan, the Belfast Board's advisor on special needs, said that schools had to learn lessons from the report.

"It's more of a learning curve for all schools," he said.

"Because they now have to be more creative in their thinking, really about taking in children with special educational needs and disabilities that may not have been within mainstream in the past."

The report said teachers should consult the children more on the changes needed to make them feel more welcome in school.