As reported by the Guardian, the number of children receiving formal special educational needs support in England has reached a record high, adding further pressure to a system already facing significant reform
New figures from the Department for Education show that 538,500 pupils now have an education, health and care plan (EHCP), an increase of 58,000 over the past year. As a result, around 6% of all schoolchildren are now supported through an active EHCP.
The rise had been widely anticipated ahead of the government’s planned overhaul of the special educational needs and disabilities (Send) system, which aims to reshape how support is delivered and funded.
Demand has also grown among children receiving special educational needs support without an EHCP. That group increased by 3% this year to almost 1.4 million pupils.
Taken together, the figures mean more than one in five children in England’s schools are now identified as having special educational needs.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said the statistics reflected growing demand on schools that are already struggling with limited resources, staffing pressures and shortages of specialist provision.
Under proposals outlined in the government’s schools white paper, fewer children are expected to receive EHCPs in future, with many instead supported through new individual support plans agreed between schools and families.
Ministers have said existing EHCP arrangements will remain unchanged until at least September 2030, although local authorities continue to face rising costs linked to growing demand for support services.
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