Senedd Education Committee

Welsh Parliament,

Cardiff, CF99 1SN

 

By Email

 

23^rd September 2024

 

 

 

Dear Senedd Education Committee,

 

Re:        Support needed for survey - young wheelchair users and schools

 

The Whizz Kidz’ Kidz Board will be launching the UK’s largest survey of young wheelchair users and schools on 26^th September 2024. Our aim is to better understand educational experiences, identify any gaps in support, and find ways to enhance inclusion for both young wheelchair users and schools.

 

Whizz Kidz is the UK’s leading charity for young wheelchair users, having provided support for over 30 years. We empower young wheelchair users by providing essential mobility equipment, offering confidence-building activities and experiences, and campaigning for a more inclusive society. Our vision is a society in which every young wheelchair user is mobile, enabled and included.

 

In 2023, we launched the A-Z of Going to University, a resource based on our research into higher education. This guide was sent to every university in the UK to support young wheelchair users applying to and attending their institutions. It is also being shared by UCAS as a resource for potential students.

 

This year, our focus is on statutory education. We have heard various stories from schools and young wheelchair users about their experiences, both positive and negative, and we want to capture the bigger picture.

 

As part of the Whizz Kidz School Research project the Kidz Board has developed two surveys—one for school colleagues and one for young wheelchair users. These surveys are designed to gather valuable insight to enable us to understand the school experience from both perspectives and identify areas for improving inclusion.

 

We are seeking your support in promoting the survey to schools and education professionals through the Department for Education.  We have contacted every school in England, Scotland and Wales to ask them to complete the survey however your endorsement and assistance in sharing these surveys would greatly enhance its reach and impact. It will also allow us to collect more comprehensive data that will inform the next steps in promoting and improving inclusion for young wheelchair users in education. 

 

The survey (available in English and Welsh) will close 25 October 2024, and we will share our full results and report with you early in 2025 along with our recommendations; we believe that the findings will benefit schools and students directly as well as contributing to broader educational improvements.

 

We would be grateful for the opportunity to discuss this further and provide any additional information you may require.