A sensory check starts by asking how the learning environment feels to the person using it. Noise, light, seating and movement can affect access to a task, but preferences differ. The aim is to identify a specific obstacle, try a practical change and find out whether it helps the learner participate.
This is an educational checklist, not a diagnostic assessment or a sensory therapy programme. It can be used in a classroom, tuition space or agreed home-learning area.
Begin with a place and an activity
Ask where the difficulty occurs and what the learner is trying to do at that moment. “The room is overwhelming” may be a useful starting point, but a more detailed picture makes a change possible. Is the problem listening near a humming projector, finding a worksheet on a cluttered desk or moving through a busy doorway?
Offer different ways to respond: conversation, a drawing, pointing to locations or simple choices. Do not require a learner to remain in a distressing situation to demonstrate the difficulty. Observations can help, but distinguish what you see from what the child reports.
Compare easier and harder moments. The same room can feel different when chairs are moving, sunlight reaches a desk or several groups are speaking. Avoid assuming a diagnosis tells you which conditions someone will prefer. Our guide to choosing educational support explains why the learner’s actual experience should shape the questions adults ask.
Walk through the ordinary features of the space
Use these prompts with the learner, selecting those that matter:
- Sound: Is speech easy to hear? Are background equipment, scraping chairs or sudden noises distracting or uncomfortable?
- Light: Is there glare on the page or screen? Does the learner prefer a different position in the room?
- Visual information: Are essential instructions easy to locate among displays, tabs and materials?
- Seating: Can the learner sit comfortably and reach their materials? Is there adequate space for their agreed equipment?
- Temperature and smells: Are heat, ventilation or strong odours affecting a particular activity?
- Movement: Are there suitable, agreed opportunities to move without missing essential instructions?
- Transitions: Is the route between activities predictable and manageable?
A sensory check should not introduce hazards. Maintain supervision, clear exits and access to safety instructions. Any specialist equipment or physical adaptations need appropriate advice and checks.
Choose one feasible change to test
Start with the obstacle that matters most to the learner. A modest change might be relocating a desk away from a noisy appliance, reducing unnecessary items on the working surface or providing the next instruction in a consistent place.
An illustrative example: a learner says glare makes an online reading task uncomfortable. The adult checks the screen position and offers another seat. They agree to compare comfort and task access at the next session. This is a trial of the environment, not evidence of a particular condition.
Record what changed and what stayed the same. Changing seating, lesson length, task difficulty and adult support together makes it harder to understand the result. If a change makes access worse, respond promptly rather than insisting the trial continue.
Review participation, not just outward quietness
Ask whether the learner can hear instructions, use materials, ask for help and take part more comfortably. A quieter child is not necessarily a more comfortable child. Include their account, even if it differs from an adult's initial impression.
The EEF's guidance on teaching pupils with SEND offers a wider evidence-informed basis for reviewing teaching and support. Schools in England can also consult the Department for Education's Equality Act advice when considering their responsibilities. The appropriate response depends on the individual circumstances; this checklist does not determine legal entitlement to a particular adjustment.
If needs are persistent, complex or changing, discuss them with the SENCo and relevant professionals. Educational adaptations do not replace specialist assessment or clinical advice where required.
For families exploring learning options, our SEND support information can help shape the conversation. You can also contact Reconnect Learning to discuss the setting and support a learner may need.