The Children and Families Act 2014 in England provided a major transformation to the system for identifying special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Ten years on, the National Audit Office published a critical report into the effectiveness of the reforms (NAO, 2024), which resulted in the House of Commons Education Committee launching a major inquiry into finding solutions to the current crisis. These commentaries also supplement international research into attempts to strengthen inclusive education systems and the associated funding mechanisms.

Release of latest statistics

The latest pupil census data from the Department for Education (DfE) in England shows that the statutory education, health and care plans (EHCPs) for pupils with SEND, are on track to hit 10 per cent by 2035. The 1978 Warnock report had previously identified 2 per cent of pupils in London attending special schools at that time. In the 1980s and 1990s there was a decline in the number of children in special schools, and a gradual increase to 3 per cent in the proportion of children both identified as having SEN and given statements of special needs. A further 18 per cent of pupils were recognised as having SEN in mainstream schools and requiring additional support but without a statement. A SEND Tribunal was launched in 1994 whereby parents can challenge decisions made by local authorities. In 2003 the government was supportive of the policy to reduce the reliance on statements, thereby decreasing the workload and maintaining the level of statements (Pinney, 2004). The number of EHCPs and appeals to the SEND Tribunal have both risen sharply since the introduction of the 2014 Act (see figure 1). EHCPs which replaced statements, are now approaching 10 per cent in the next decade (Marsh, 2023) (see figure 2).

Figure 1: EHC plans/statements aged 0–19 and appeals to the SEND Tribunal in England 1984–2024

Sources: Special educational needs in England (school census data) June 2025: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england/2024-25

Statistics on the appeal rate to the SEND Tribunal: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2024

Figure 2: EHCPs trendline 2015–2035

Source: Special educational needs in England (school census data) June 2025: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england/2024-25

There is also an elevated level of statements in Northern Ireland compared to an exceptionally low percentage (0.2 per cent) of pupils in Scotland with a statutory co-ordinated support plan (CSP) (Table 1). The percentage in Wales includes the wider definition of pupils with additional learning needs (ALN), who now will have an individual development plan (IDP), as proposed by the Additional Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018. The variability of EHCPs and appeals to the SEND Tribunal across the English regions has significant differences. There are 4.7 per cent EHCPs in the East Midlands compared to 6.1 per cent in the North West region (see figure 3). Whereas there are 39 appeals per 10,000 pupils to the SEND Tribunal in the Yorkshire and Humber region over the past ten years compared with 98 appeals per 10,000 pupils in the South East of England.

Table 1: EHCPs/Statements/Co-ordinated Support Plans/Additional Learning Needs in the UK 2024

Source: Official government statistics

Figure 3: EHCPs and SEND Tribunals by English region

Source: Special educational needs in England (school census data) June 2025: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england/2024-25

Tribunals statistics quarterly: Jan to March 2024 SEND Tribunal Tables: statistics on the appeal rate to the SEND Tribunal https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2024

Solving the SEND crisis

There have been recent reports on SEND, such as by the ISOS Partnership (see Bryant & Parish, 2025), the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee and from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (see Sibieta & Snape, 2024). The Commons Education Committee inquiry, seeks to find solutions to the current crisis in SEND provision by focusing on how to stabilise the system in the short term and to achieve long-term sustainability with improved outcomes for children and young people. There have been similar SEND inquiries in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales where decisions about education and special education have been devolved. And evidence is being sought from the ongoing Scope Send project, which aims to address the pressing need for current, internationally comparable evidence on policies governing the provision of services for SEND in order to learn which elements work effectively.

Finally, a new Schools White Paper, dealing with reforms to the English SEND system, will now be published in Autumn 2025. So, with a rapidly growing high needs block budget of £12 billion, and a further £5 billion allocated in the notional SEN budget, it is likely that SEND reforms and funding will continue to be significant policy themes, not only for the present but also for future governments.

This blog provides supplementary information to a previous 2024 BERA Blog post.

References

Bryant, B., & Parish, N. (2025). Reform of the SEND system: What might the next stage look like and how can we build consensus? An addendum to our report on the future of the SEND system in England. ISOS Partnership. https://www.local.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/250408_LGA_SEND_workshops%20summary_final.pdf

Marsh, A. J. (2023). Education health and care plans (EHCPs) and statements in England: A 20 year sustainability review. Educational Psychology in Practice, 39(4), 457–474. https://doi.org/10.1080/02667363.2023.2237879

National Audit Office [NAO]. (2024). Support for children and young people with special educational needs. https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/support-for-children-and-young-people-with-special-educational-needs/

Pinney, A. (2004). Reducing reliance on statements: An investigation into local authority practice and outcomes. Department for Education and Skills. https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/48631267/reducing-reliance-on-statements-communities-and-local-

Sibeta L., & Snape, D. (2024). Spending on special educational needs in England: something has to change. Institute for Fiscal Studies. https://ifs.org.uk/publications/spending-special-educational-needs-england-something-has-change