Education chiefs are carrying out improvements in a number of schools to ensure they meet the disability access requirements of the new Equality Act.

In July, the Equality Act became law.

It aims to combat discrimination in the workplace and in the provision of goods and services, on various grounds including race, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, and gender reassignment

It will be phased in over the next two years.

Education Minister Graham Cregeen said that his department had been ’proactive many years ago’ to improve access for and reduce discrimination against people with disabilities.

’Access audits were undertaken at our sites, and significant adaptation works progressed, covering many properties over two capital schemes approved by Tynwald in 2006 and 2010,’ he said.

But, in response to a written Tynwald question from Claire Bettison, he admitted: ’This left us with some properties where access was not economical or simple to resolve, and needed more fundamental works, which have been tackled in different ways.’

This includes access at St Mary’s School in Douglas, which will need to be dealt with in a major scheme to be brought before Tynwald for approval in March.

At Ballakermeen High School, in Douglas, there are a number of separate first floor areas.

’Peppering the school with lifts was not the answer,’ the minister said. ’We have been working with Department of Infrastructure to progress phased minor capital schemes to link these first floor areas to provide improved access and circulation for all at the school.’

There were fundamental problems with St Thomas’s Church of England School in Douglas, which was one of the reasons behind the controversial proposal to move to a shared premises with Scoill Vallajeelt.

Work continued to meet individual students’ particular needs across schools, he said.

’We are seeking to progress a current audit of our facilities over the next year to determine what further reasonable adjustments we can make across our estate.’

Money was set aside already in the estimates for such work, he added.