Thurrock has a received a grant of nearly £250,000 to improve access for the disabled at its schools.

The Department has allocated £242,000 to the borough schools to help disabled pupils to participate in a far wider range of school activities.

The money will be spent mainly on ramps, lifts and easy-to-open doors for children with mobility problems, enhanced paint schemes and adjustable lighting for partially-sighted children, and acoustic loops and tiling of classrooms to help deaf children.

The money is part of £70m being spent by the Government nationwide.

From September this year, the Disability Discrimination Act will apply to schools for the first time. Schools will be required to increase the accessibility of their facilities to ensure that disabled pupils are given the same chance to achieve their potential as their non-disabled peers.

Published Monday, April 8, 2002