How have Special Educational Statistics Changed 2021/2022?

How have Special Educational Statistics Changed in England in the Academic Year 2021/2022?

The Government have recently released the latest annual statistics regarding Pupils in England with Special Educational Needs and Education Health and Care Plans. As expected, and has been the case since 2016, the number of Pupils receiving SEN support and in receipt of EHCPs has increased. In fact, the number of Pupils with an EHC plan has increased 50% since 2016! The number of Pupils who have recognised SEN support represents 12.6% of all Pupils in England. Further, 55,566 Pupils in schools in England have an EHCP; up by 9.2% from 2021. It is worth noting that there are likely many more Pupils who should be receiving SEN support but are not and therefore these figures are likely underreported.

When looking at Pupils Referral Units, 28.2% of Pupils in attendance have an EHC plan and 54.0% have SEN support. The percentage of Pupils with an EHC plan in PRUs has continued to increase, from 24.0% to 28.2%. This is driven by both an increase in the number of plans and by a decrease in the overall population in PRUs. Whilst of course Pupils attend Pupil Referral Units for a number of reasons this is a concerning trend as this could mean that Pupils with Special Educational Needs are being excluded from school more often. It could also be the case that there are not enough Special School places for these Pupils for whom mainstream education is not suitable and so they are forced in to Pupil Referral Units. This could result in issues of discrimination and could warrant an appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal. 

When looking at the needs amongst children and young people with SEN, the most common type of need among Pupils with an EHC plan is autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).  Almost one in three Pupils with an EHC plan have a primary need of ASD. This could mean that children and young people with a diagnosis of ASD are more likely to need the support of an EHCP to ensure that they get the special educational provision that they require to meet their special educational needs. 

Finally, SEN continues to be identified more often in boys than girls. 72.8% of Pupils with an EHC plan are boys and 63.5% of Pupils with SEN support are boys, however this has been slowly decreasing in recent years. 

What these figures show us is that more EHCPs are being awarded year on year. It is unclear whether this is because children and young people are requiring the enforceability of an EHCP to ensure that they are receiving the special educational provision that they require to meet their special educational needs. 

If you have concerns that you child may have special educational needs that are not being met, or wish to discuss whether an EHCP might be the right option for your child, please do not hesitate to call our Specialist Education Law Solicitors on 03333 20 27 175 for advice and guidance, or send us an email on education@hcbgroup.com.