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Concerns that schools could be exempt from a duty to promote equality for disabled children have been allayed.

At the second reading of the Disability Discrimination Bill, work and pensions secretary Alan Johnson said schools would be required to take action to improve outcomes for disabled children.

Under the bill, all public sector bodies will have a general duty to promote disability equality but key public bodies, including schools, will have a specific duty to produce explicit plans to tackle discrimination and create mechanisms to consult effectively with disabled people.