Affluent areas lead in special education diagnoses

As reported by The Telegraph, children in wealthier neighbourhoods are more likely to receive specific SEND diagnoses, sparking concerns about support disparities

An analysis of 4.5 million children in state primary schools by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) found that just over 16 per cent had special education needs and disabilities (SEND).

Those living in more affluent areas were more likely to be diagnosed with more precisely defined conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, and ADHD, which involve agencies and resources outside of the school in diagnosis.

As a result of this precise diagnosis, they are in turn more likely to receive a tailored care plan and support funded by the local authority, the research found.

Around 15 per cent of those with SEND living in the most affluent areas have a specific diagnosis of their conditions, compared to around six per cent of those in the most deprived areas.

The findings have been described as “key evidence” that there is “a ‘rationing’ of support, and, consequentially, unmet need, in poorer locations”.

The report concludes: “What is worrying about this is that it once more indicates under-appeals and consequential unmet need in more deprived areas, rather than any reverse of this.

“This is because appealing for necessary provision for their child’s SEND is a system fraught with ‘confusion…bureaucratic nightmares, buck-passing and a lack of accountability,’ with which parents and carers with capacity engage through necessity rather than active desire.”

Among children eligible for free school meals living in the most deprived areas around 4.75 per cent have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), which is a higher-level SEND provision funded by local authorities

This rises to 5.75 per cent for the same group in the most affluent areas, the researchers found.

Among all children with any SEND, around 17.5 per cent have an EHCP in the most deprived areas, compared to 22 per cent in the most affluent areas.

Among the conditions more likely to be diagnosed in wealthier areas, at around 12 per cent, are ‘Autistic Spectrum’ conditions. By comparison this is diagnosed in just over 10 per cent of those in the most deprived areas.

In the poorest areas children with SEND are more likely to be diagnosed with the less well defined “Speech, Language and Communication Needs”, at around 32 per cent, compared to 25 per cent in wealthier areas.

Previous research has shown that processes involved for parents and carers in accessing tailored support for their child are often resource-heavy, stressful, and adversarial – requiring them to actively access and fight for provision, the researchers say.

In poorer areas there are significantly fewer appeals and hearing rates for decisions on care plans, it is noted.

The report said the findings suggest that there are “huge high needs deficits” in support for children, particularly in more deprived areas, and show that “additional resourcing and funding is needed”.