According to the Alliance for Inclusive Education (Allfie), the Department for Education's Priority Schools Building programme may breach statutory access requirements and equality duties.
The campaign group is being backed by Sharon Hodgson, shadow minister for children and families, who has submitted written parliamentary questions to Education Secretary Michael Gove on the issue, as well as the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba), which contacted Allfie after the government published its construction plans.
Simone Aspis, policy and campaigns co-ordinator at Allfie, said the group has asked Gove to check whether the DfE's so-called “baseline design specification” for schools is up to scratch.
“If a school is smaller, Allfie is concerned that it may not be wheelchair-accessible and there may not be enough room for children to move around safely if they have a physical impairment,” she said.
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