Martial arts for ages 5–7 with additional needs: what to ask

By Andrew Rheeston Martial Arts · 7 September 2026

Tell the academy what helps your child take part before booking: how they understand instructions, communicate, manage noise or transitions, move around the space and ask for a pause. AR Martial Arts has a separate ages 5–7 programme and a free week, but it does not publish an adjustments policy, so confirm the current session and support directly.

Before booking martial arts for a child aged 5–7 with additional needs, tell the academy what helps your child take part and ask what the current class can realistically provide. Useful details include how your child understands instructions, communicates, responds to noise or transitions, moves around a space and signals that they need help or a pause.

Andrew Rheeston’s Martial Arts Academy has a separate Martial Arts for Ages 5–7 programme at North Solihull Sports Centre in Chelmsley Wood. It also offers one week of classes free. Its current public information does not, however, publish a class size, staffing ratio, adjustments policy or list of needs it can support. Suitability therefore needs an individual conversation, not a promise based on a web page.

What should I tell the academy before booking?

Start with the child rather than a label. A diagnosis may be relevant, but two children with the same diagnosis can need very different support. The English Karate Federation’s current inclusion guidance recommends asking what helps the individual take part and notes that one person may need a demonstration, extra processing time, a different communication method or a physical adjustment.

That is general karate guidance, not evidence of an AR Martial Arts policy or available adjustment. For a useful first conversation, describe:

• how your child best understands an instruction or demonstration;
• how they communicate a question, worry, pain or need for a pause;
• any sensitivity to noise, touch, busy spaces, lighting or sudden changes;
• any mobility, balance, fatigue or access consideration relevant to activity;
• how they usually manage arrival, waiting and transitions between tasks;
• whether they need individual support from a parent, carer or coach; and
• what kinds of movement or activity they already enjoy.

Share only information that is relevant to participation and safety. The aim is to give the academy enough detail to answer honestly, not to make a parent prove that a child belongs in an activity.

What should I ask about the actual class?

AR Martial Arts describes its younger-child pathway through age-appropriate movement, coordination, routines, positive coaching and skills taught in manageable steps. It does not publish the current lesson plan or how those features are adapted for an individual child.

Ask questions that turn broad wording into a practical picture:

1. How many children and instructors are usually in the relevant session?
2. How are instructions shown, spoken and repeated?
3. What happens if a child needs longer to watch before joining an activity?
4. Is there a safe way to pause, and who should the child or parent speak to?
5. Which parts of the session involve shared equipment or partner work?
6. Can a parent or carer help with arrival or transitions, if needed?
7. Is the support we have described possible in this class, on this day, with the current staffing?

A clear answer may be yes, no or “we need to discuss this in more detail.” No provider should guarantee that one format suits every child, and this article cannot confirm an adjustment that the academy has not agreed.

Can observation or a simple first step help?

Possibly, if the academy agrees. UK Coaching’s inclusive coaching guidance says some new or anxious participants may benefit from time to observe before joining and encourages simple feedback between the coach, child and parent or carer. It also recognises that participation can look different for different children.

That does not create an observation policy at AR Martial Arts. Ask whether your child can see the room, meet the instructor or watch part of a session before taking part. If observation is not possible, ask what other introduction the academy can offer.

Agree one simple first-step plan before arriving. For example, the plan might explain who greets the child, where they wait, how the first instruction is given and what signal means “I need a pause.” The academy must confirm what is workable; a parent should not rely on an arrangement that has only been suggested in a general article.

What does the venue information confirm?

AR Martial Arts trains at North Solihull Sports Centre, Conway Road, Chelmsley Wood, Solihull, B37 5LA. Solihull Council’s official listing confirms the venue and address.

The Everyone Active venue page lists centre-wide facilities including accessible parking bays, ramp and automatic-door entry, a hearing loop, lift access, accessible toilets, showers and changing facilities. These facts do not establish:

• the route from reception to the academy’s room;
• the noise, lighting, floor or layout during a class;
• whether a parent or carer can remain nearby;
• what equipment is used; or
• which adjustments AR Martial Arts can make.

Scope’s guidance on sport for disabled children and young people recommends discussing communication, sensory needs, equipment, individual support and venue access with the activity provider. Contact both AR Martial Arts and the sports centre before travelling when any of those details affect your child’s participation.

The centre’s opening hours are not the academy timetable. AR Martial Arts does not publish current class times, so confirm the appropriate ages 5–7 session directly.

How should we use the free week?

The academy’s one-week free offer can provide more than one point of observation, but it is not a guarantee that the programme will be suitable or produce a particular result.

Before the first session, agree what the academy can provide and what the child can do if they need help. During the week, focus on a few practical questions:

• Does your child understand enough of the instructions to take part safely?
• Can they communicate when something is unclear or uncomfortable?
• Does the agreed introduction or pause plan work in the real class?
• Can the instructor explain what is and is not possible in the current group?
• Does your child want to try the next session?

If an important need cannot be supported safely, take that answer seriously. It is better to know before making a longer commitment than to rely on broad claims about inclusion or martial arts outcomes.

This support-planning question is different from deciding whether a child is generally ready to begin. For that broader decision, read the guide to martial arts for 5–7-year-olds in Chelmsley Wood. You can also check the academy’s general FAQs and call before claiming the free week.

Frequently asked questions