Neurodivergence report for government about schools: Easy Read version

Making education better for children and young people February 2026

Neurodivergence report

for government about

schools

Contents 1. What is this report about? 2. What did we find out? 3. What does this report want to change? 4. The most important things this report says

This is the Easy Read booklet of the report from the independent Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group.

We are a group of 12 experts. The government asked us to find out how to make schools better for children and young people who are neurodivergent.

1. What is this report about?

This report is about children and young people at school. Some children:

• think differently • learn differently • feel the world differently

This is called being neurodivergent.

We celebrate neurodivergence. It is part of being human.

2. What did we find out?

Some neurodivergent children find school hard. They might:

• think differently

• feel worried or upset

• feel tired or overwhelmed

• find it hard to concentrate

• find lessons or noise hard to cope with • need help to follow some rules

Sometimes this can lead to children:

• missing school • finding it hard to learn • feeling like they do not belong at school

• not achieving as much as they could

School should be a place where children feel:

• safe

• welcome

• listened to

• supported

Every child should feel that they:

• belong in school

• are wanted and valued

• are supported to learn and achieve

• are helped to prepare for adulthood

3. What does this report want to change?

The report talks about 4 big ideas to make school better.

1. Understanding children from the start of school

Teachers should:

• notice when a child is finding things hard

• listen to children and families

• help as early as possible when they see a child’s or young person’s needs

Children should get help from schools:

• based on their needs and what helps them learn and enjoy school

• without needing a diagnosis or label

• although having a diagnosis may still be important for some children

2. Helping teachers understand children even better

Teachers want to help. They need:

• training to understand children who are neurodivergent • ideas that really help children learn • time to listen to children and learn about what they need

When teachers understand children better:

• school feels more supportive • children are more able to learn • children can achieve more at school

3. Making school easier to learn in

Schools should:

• be calm and kind • support children to learn • identify how a child learns best • understand why they might be struggling

• help children feel safe and that they belong • understand why a child is behaving in a certain way

If something helps one child, it often helps many others too.

4. Making sure support is fair

Schools need enough help and money to:

• support children early based on their needs • provide help before things feel too hard

Families should:

• know who to talk to – schools or other services • get the right help without fighting or worry

4. The most important things this report says

Schools should:

• help every child to achieve • understand children’s strengths and needs • help children to learn by meeting their needs, including neurodivergent children • help every child feel they belong

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/version/3. Where we have identified any third-party copyright information, you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

For more information, you can:

• contact the Department for Education • follow the Department for Education on:

X @educationgovuk and Facebook

Why this page, not just a PDF? The original is a PDF - fine to read, but a poor fit for assistive technology: heading structure is often inconsistent or absent, text doesn't reflow for zoom or a narrow screen, and screen readers can struggle with multi-column layouts and scanned pages. This page is the same content rebuilt as plain, semantic HTML - real headings, text that reflows, nothing a screen reader or zoom tool trips over.

Republished from Department for Education under the Open Government Licence v3.0. View the original PDF.