Headline evidence · SEND · England · school pupils with an EHC plan or statement · January 2016 to January 2026
Six in 100 pupils in England now have a special-needs plan, more than double the share in 2016.
In schools, 6.0% of pupils (about 539,000) now have a legal support plan, up from 2.8% in 2016. That is more than double the share. Counting everyone aged 0 to 25, about 719,000 have a plan, but that count crosses a 2014 change in the law.
Proposed outcome: Give children suitable special-needs support on time, whether or not they have a formal care plan. What could change →
- Geography
- England
- Evidence period
- January 2026
- Evidence status
- Published statistics
- Editorial review
- Reviewed 21 October 2026
The short version
Three key measures
How many children and young people have a formal care plan?
718,838formal care plans
Almost three times as many children and young people have a legal support plan as in January 2015. Plans now cover ages up to 25.
What is happening now? →England · January 2026 · Published statistics
Definition, limits and source: How many children and young people have a formal care plan?
2.99 times the 240,183 statements and plans in January 2015, and up 12.5% in the last year, the biggest rise since plans began. Ages 0–25 in every setting — early years, school, college and none — so not a count of school pupils.
Published statistics · DfE, Education, health and care plans, reporting year 2026, Data files: EHC plans (caseload); timeliness of new plans (20 weeks); requests; annual reviews
What share of pupils in England have an EHC plan?
6.0%of pupils
In schools, 6.0% of pupils have a plan, up from 2.8% ten years ago. Part of the rise is because plans now cover up to age 25.
The long view →England, all schools · School census, January 2026
Definition, limits and source: What share of pupils in England have an EHC plan?
538,547 pupils in schools in 2025/26, against 2.8% in 2015/16. Before the 2014 reform the share of pupils with a statement was 2.8% to 2.9% (DfE). Pupils in all schools, not the 0–25 caseload. Plans cover ages up to 25, so part of the rise is a wider legal category.
Published statistics · DfE, Special educational needs in England, academic year 2025/26, Pupils in all schools, by type of SEN provision — 2016 to 2026
How big is the councils’ special-needs deficit?
£6.7bncumulative deficit
Councils hold a £6.7bn gap on special-needs funding that central money did not cover. It is a balance built up over years, not one year's spending.
The money →England, all councils · 31 March 2026
Definition, limits and source: How big is the councils’ special-needs deficit?
The unfunded high-needs overspend councils held in an unusable reserve at 31 March 2026, up from £2.3bn two years earlier. A reported balance, not annual spending, and not a forecast. The government has said it will cover 90% of deficits at that date, on conditions.
Published statistics · MHCLG, Local authority revenue expenditure and financing 2025-26, Revenue outturn time series, DSG adjustment account
Who feels this most?
The national figure hides a postcode lottery. The same legal deadline is met for almost every child in some councils and for fewer than one in five in 20 others. Families in the slowest areas wait longest for a plan — and the plan is only the start of getting support.
The family pathway: from request to support — what is measured, and what is not
The statutory process in order. Equal-sized steps show sequence only. Each step says whether national data exist; the step that matters most to families — the support in the plan being delivered — has none.
Legal process — sequence, not a quantified funnel
- 1
Request for assessment
Published: 162,702 requests in 2025, up from 82,329 in 2019.
More on this step - 2
Decision to assess (6 weeks)
Published: 65.2% of 2025 requests were agreed for assessment.
More on this step - 3
Final plan (20 weeks)
Published: 46.1% of new plans on time in 2025.
More on this step - 4
Specified provision delivered
Not published nationally. No national statistic says whether the support in a plan is provided, or when.
More on this step - 5
Outcomes and review
Partly published: attainment by SEN status, and — from 2025 — annual reviews completed.
More on this step
The evidence
Demand: the long view
For about twenty years the share of pupils with a statement barely moved: about 2.8% in 1996, 2.9% in 2006, 2.7% in 2010 and 2.8% in 2014. Since the 2014 reform it has more than doubled, to 6.0% in 2025/26. The recent rise is the story, not a thirty-year climb.
View the figures as a table
| Year | Pupils | Share | Segment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 153,228 | 2.0% | Statements, 1991 to 1996 |
| 1992 | 160,759 | 2.1% | Statements, 1991 to 1996 |
| 1993 | 178,029 | 2.3% | Statements, 1991 to 1996 |
| 1994 | 194,541 | 2.5% | Statements, 1991 to 1996 |
| 1995 | 211,307 | 2.6% | Statements, 1991 to 1996 |
| 1996 | 227,324 | 2.8% | Statements, 1991 to 1996 |
| 2006 | 236,750 | 2.9% | Statements, 2006 to 2010 (sole registrations) |
| 2007 | 229,110 | 2.8% | Statements, 2006 to 2010 (sole registrations) |
| 2008 | 223,610 | 2.8% | Statements, 2006 to 2010 (sole registrations) |
| 2009 | 221,670 | 2.7% | Statements, 2006 to 2010 (sole registrations) |
| 2010 | 220,890 | 2.7% | Statements, 2006 to 2010 (sole registrations) |
| 2010 | 223,945 | 2.8% | Statements, 2010 to 2014 (sole and dual registrations) |
| 2011 | 224,210 | 2.8% | Statements, 2010 to 2014 (sole and dual registrations) |
| 2012 | 226,125 | 2.8% | Statements, 2010 to 2014 (sole and dual registrations) |
| 2013 | 229,390 | 2.8% | Statements, 2010 to 2014 (sole and dual registrations) |
| 2014 | 232,190 | 2.8% | Statements, 2010 to 2014 (sole and dual registrations) |
| 2015/16 | 236,806 | 2.77% | EHC plans (DfE 2026 data files) |
| 2016/17 | 242,184 | 2.79% | EHC plans (DfE 2026 data files) |
| 2017/18 | 253,679 | 2.90% | EHC plans (DfE 2026 data files) |
| 2018/19 | 271,165 | 3.07% | EHC plans (DfE 2026 data files) |
| 2019/20 | 294,758 | 3.32% | EHC plans (DfE 2026 data files) |
| 2020/21 | 325,618 | 3.65% | EHC plans (DfE 2026 data files) |
| 2021/22 | 355,566 | 3.95% | EHC plans (DfE 2026 data files) |
| 2022/23 | 389,171 | 4.29% | EHC plans (DfE 2026 data files) |
| 2023/24 | 434,354 | 4.78% | EHC plans (DfE 2026 data files) |
| 2024/25 | 482,640 | 5.34% | EHC plans (DfE 2026 data files) |
| 2025/26 | 538,547 | 6.04% | EHC plans (DfE 2026 data files) |
What is growing
The growth is concentrated in speech, language and communication needs, autism, and social, emotional and mental health needs. Plans for moderate and severe learning difficulty, and for physical and sensory needs, have grown only a little. The Institute for Fiscal Studies makes the same point and notes that rises in autism, ADHD and mental-health needs appear in other high-income countries too. A rising count is not the same as rising need: identification, diagnosis, thresholds and the way plans are funded all play a part.
Pupils with an EHC plan, by main type of need: how many times larger than in 2015/16
- Autistic spectrum disorder2.9×57,474 to 165,399 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs3.5×31,045 to 108,936 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health2.9×28,344 to 83,339 pupils
- Moderate learning difficulty1.2×29,741 to 35,475 pupils
- Severe learning difficulty1.1×29,036 to 31,246 pupils
- Specific learning difficulty2.4×9,009 to 21,384 pupils
- Physical disability1.2×12,914 to 14,918 pupils
- Other difficulty or disability1.8×5,277 to 9,587 pupils
- Profound and multiple learning difficulty0.9×9,984 to 9,339 pupils
- Hearing impairment1.1×5,956 to 6,440 pupils
- Vision impairment1.2×3,343 to 4,067 pupils
- Multi-sensory impairment2.2×634 to 1,392 pupils
County by county
Across councils the share of pupils with a plan runs from about 3% to more than 9% (setting aside the City of London and the Isles of Scilly, which have a handful of pupils). Of the 142 councils whose boundaries are unchanged since 2016, it has risen in 141. Search for your council, or filter by counties, unitary authorities, metropolitan districts or London boroughs.
153 of 153 councils. England: 6.0% of pupils in 2025/26.
| Council | Share of pupils with a plan, 2025/26 | 2015/16 | Change | Pupils | Deficit, Mar 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WirralMetropolitan district, North West | 9.1% | 3.0% | +6.1 points | 4,628 | £66m |
| KnowsleyMetropolitan district, North West | 8.7% | 3.7% | +4.9 points | 1,883 | £44m |
| Tower HamletsLondon borough, London | 8.6% | 4.0% | +4.7 points | 4,000 | £35m |
| IslingtonLondon borough, London | 8.2% | 3.5% | +4.7 points | 1,910 | none held |
| LiverpoolMetropolitan district, North West | 7.9% | 2.4% | +5.5 points | 6,241 | £8m |
| ManchesterMetropolitan district, North West | 7.8% | 2.7% | +5.1 points | 7,622 | £59m |
| NorthumberlandUnitary authority, North East | 7.7% | no like-for-like | — | 3,458 | £20m |
| TamesideMetropolitan district, North West | 7.6% | 1.7% | +5.9 points | 2,834 | £44m |
| St. HelensMetropolitan district, North West | 7.6% | 2.2% | +5.4 points | 2,049 | £13m |
| Isle of WightUnitary authority, Not matched | 7.6% | 3.5% | +4.1 points | 1,264 | £17m |
| LambethLondon borough, London | 7.6% | 3.5% | +4.0 points | 2,713 | £3m |
| OldhamMetropolitan district, North West | 7.5% | 2.7% | +4.9 points | 3,575 | £7m |
| HaltonUnitary authority, North West | 7.4% | 2.2% | +5.3 points | 1,366 | £28m |
| NorfolkCounty, East of England | 7.4% | 3.4% | +4.0 points | 9,056 | £228m |
| HampshireCounty, South East | 7.4% | 2.7% | +4.6 points | 14,462 | £346m |
| BlackpoolUnitary authority, North West | 7.3% | 2.6% | +4.7 points | 1,433 | £7m |
| PortsmouthUnitary authority, South East | 7.2% | 3.1% | +4.1 points | 2,121 | none held |
| RotherhamMetropolitan district, Yorkshire and The Humber | 7.1% | 2.5% | +4.7 points | 3,207 | £21m |
| BuryMetropolitan district, North West | 7.1% | 3.5% | +3.6 points | 2,178 | £20m |
| SeftonMetropolitan district, North West | 7.1% | 2.5% | +4.7 points | 2,978 | £104m |
| DarlingtonUnitary authority, North East | 7.1% | 3.0% | +4.1 points | 1,142 | £0m |
| CalderdaleMetropolitan district, Yorkshire and The Humber | 7.1% | 2.5% | +4.6 points | 2,568 | £41m |
| Cheshire West and ChesterUnitary authority, North West | 7.1% | 3.1% | +3.9 points | 3,871 | £40m |
| TorbayUnitary authority, South West | 7.1% | 4.4% | +2.6 points | 1,382 | £9m |
| Kingston upon Hull, City ofUnitary authority, Yorkshire and The Humber | 7.0% | 2.9% | +4.1 points | 3,056 | £24m |
| North TynesideMetropolitan district, North East | 7.0% | 3.7% | +3.3 points | 2,164 | £13m |
| StockportMetropolitan district, North West | 7.0% | 3.9% | +3.1 points | 3,311 | £68m |
| SuffolkCounty, East of England | 6.9% | 2.5% | +4.4 points | 7,613 | £164m |
| WorcestershireCounty, West Midlands | 6.9% | 2.9% | +4.1 points | 6,141 | £181m |
| EnfieldLondon borough, London | 6.9% | 2.3% | +4.6 points | 3,806 | £21m |
| Westmorland and FurnessUnitary authority, North West | 6.9% | no like-for-like | — | 2,147 | £33m |
| HackneyLondon borough, London | 6.9% | 3.4% | +3.5 points | 2,880 | £19m |
| LeicestershireCounty, East Midlands | 6.8% | 2.7% | +4.1 points | 7,357 | £79m |
| WandsworthLondon borough, London | 6.8% | 3.9% | +2.9 points | 2,785 | £33m |
| DevonCounty, South West | 6.8% | 3.1% | +3.7 points | 7,151 | £176m |
| WiltshireUnitary authority, South West | 6.8% | 2.7% | +4.1 points | 5,079 | £86m |
| MiddlesbroughUnitary authority, North East | 6.8% | 3.5% | +3.3 points | 1,738 | £29m |
| Waltham ForestLondon borough, London | 6.8% | 3.1% | +3.7 points | 2,914 | £14m |
| ThurrockUnitary authority, East of England | 6.7% | 3.4% | +3.4 points | 2,105 | £5m |
| North NorthamptonshireUnitary authority, East Midlands | 6.7% | no like-for-like | — | 3,941 | £43m |
| SouthamptonUnitary authority, South East | 6.7% | 2.7% | +4.0 points | 2,370 | £11m |
| Central BedfordshireUnitary authority, East of England | 6.7% | 2.6% | +4.1 points | 3,338 | £62m |
| LincolnshireCounty, East Midlands | 6.7% | 2.9% | +3.8 points | 7,355 | £25m |
| North LincolnshireUnitary authority, Yorkshire and The Humber | 6.6% | 3.2% | +3.5 points | 1,593 | £5m |
| MertonLondon borough, London | 6.6% | 3.5% | +3.2 points | 2,108 | £69m |
| North East LincolnshireUnitary authority, Yorkshire and The Humber | 6.6% | 2.0% | +4.6 points | 1,533 | £27m |
| SwindonUnitary authority, South West | 6.6% | 3.8% | +2.8 points | 2,463 | £22m |
| SurreyCounty, South East | 6.6% | 3.0% | +3.6 points | 13,280 | £238m |
| DerbyUnitary authority, East Midlands | 6.6% | 3.0% | +3.5 points | 3,103 | £23m |
| RochdaleMetropolitan district, North West | 6.5% | 3.2% | +3.3 points | 2,503 | £45m |
| SalfordMetropolitan district, North West | 6.5% | 3.0% | +3.5 points | 2,905 | £34m |
| LewishamLondon borough, London | 6.5% | 2.8% | +3.7 points | 2,544 | £24m |
| Stoke-on-TrentUnitary authority, West Midlands | 6.5% | 3.1% | +3.4 points | 2,715 | £33m |
| West BerkshireUnitary authority, South East | 6.5% | 4.5% | +2.0 points | 1,929 | £25m |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and PooleUnitary authority, South West | 6.5% | no like-for-like | — | 3,535 | £180m |
| Cheshire EastUnitary authority, North West | 6.5% | 2.3% | +4.2 points | 3,905 | £156m |
| DorsetUnitary authority, South West | 6.4% | no like-for-like | — | 3,308 | £149m |
| LancashireCounty, North West | 6.4% | 2.9% | +3.5 points | 11,771 | £102m |
| EalingLondon borough, London | 6.4% | 2.8% | +3.6 points | 3,690 | £18m |
| WiganMetropolitan district, North West | 6.4% | 2.6% | +3.8 points | 3,106 | £26m |
| Hammersmith and FulhamLondon borough, London | 6.4% | 3.5% | +2.9 points | 1,657 | £15m |
| BarnsleyMetropolitan district, Yorkshire and The Humber | 6.4% | 3.8% | +2.6 points | 2,237 | none held |
| GreenwichLondon borough, London | 6.3% | 2.7% | +3.7 points | 2,959 | £27m |
| BromleyLondon borough, London | 6.3% | 3.0% | +3.3 points | 3,624 | £40m |
| ShropshireUnitary authority, West Midlands | 6.3% | 3.8% | +2.5 points | 2,745 | £46m |
| Stockton-on-TeesUnitary authority, North East | 6.3% | 2.5% | +3.8 points | 2,078 | £17m |
| CroydonLondon borough, London | 6.3% | 2.8% | +3.4 points | 3,951 | £67m |
| WalsallMetropolitan district, West Midlands | 6.3% | 2.3% | +4.0 points | 3,414 | £47m |
| CambridgeshireCounty, East of England | 6.2% | 3.1% | +3.1 points | 6,386 | £96m |
| MedwayUnitary authority, South East | 6.2% | 3.1% | +3.1 points | 3,274 | £24m |
| South GloucestershireUnitary authority, South West | 6.2% | 3.1% | +3.1 points | 2,608 | £57m |
| WarringtonUnitary authority, North West | 6.1% | 3.4% | +2.8 points | 2,020 | £7m |
| North SomersetUnitary authority, South West | 6.1% | 1.5% | +4.6 points | 1,979 | £43m |
| CumberlandUnitary authority, North West | 6.1% | no like-for-like | — | 2,420 | none held |
| DudleyMetropolitan district, West Midlands | 6.1% | 2.5% | +3.6 points | 2,956 | none held |
| StaffordshireCounty, West Midlands | 6.1% | 3.0% | +3.1 points | 7,978 | £94m |
| BradfordMetropolitan district, Yorkshire and The Humber | 6.1% | 2.1% | +4.0 points | 6,055 | none held |
| West SussexCounty, South East | 6.1% | 3.0% | +3.1 points | 7,829 | £203m |
| Southend-on-SeaUnitary authority, East of England | 6.0% | 3.2% | +2.8 points | 1,952 | none held |
| Bath and North East SomersetUnitary authority, South West | 6.0% | 2.7% | +3.3 points | 1,897 | £47m |
| HaringeyLondon borough, London | 6.0% | 3.1% | +2.9 points | 2,413 | £10m |
| KentCounty, South East | 6.0% | 2.9% | +3.1 points | 16,126 | £130m |
| BoltonMetropolitan district, North West | 6.0% | 2.7% | +3.2 points | 3,431 | £19m |
| Herefordshire, County ofUnitary authority, West Midlands | 6.0% | 2.6% | +3.4 points | 1,488 | £36m |
| Kingston upon ThamesLondon borough, London | 6.0% | 2.5% | +3.4 points | 1,821 | £21m |
| West NorthamptonshireUnitary authority, East Midlands | 6.0% | no like-for-like | — | 4,197 | £55m |
| WarwickshireCounty, West Midlands | 6.0% | 3.1% | +2.9 points | 5,858 | £150m |
| East Riding of YorkshireUnitary authority, Yorkshire and The Humber | 6.0% | 2.3% | +3.7 points | 2,712 | £55m |
| Redcar and ClevelandUnitary authority, North East | 6.0% | 3.4% | +2.5 points | 1,226 | £21m |
| WakefieldMetropolitan district, Yorkshire and The Humber | 5.9% | 2.7% | +3.3 points | 3,397 | £5m |
| BexleyLondon borough, London | 5.9% | 2.6% | +3.3 points | 2,540 | £22m |
| South TynesideMetropolitan district, North East | 5.9% | 3.4% | +2.5 points | 1,341 | £17m |
| SheffieldMetropolitan district, Yorkshire and The Humber | 5.9% | 2.5% | +3.4 points | 5,079 | none held |
| LutonUnitary authority, East of England | 5.8% | 2.5% | +3.3 points | 2,423 | none held |
| Bristol, City ofUnitary authority, South West | 5.8% | 2.6% | +3.2 points | 4,040 | £83m |
| SomersetUnitary authority, Not matched | 5.8% | no like-for-like | — | 4,614 | £105m |
| DerbyshireCounty, East Midlands | 5.8% | 3.0% | +2.8 points | 6,393 | £93m |
| Brighton and HoveUnitary authority, South East | 5.8% | 2.9% | +2.9 points | 1,952 | £2m |
| Newcastle upon TyneMetropolitan district, North East | 5.8% | 2.4% | +3.4 points | 2,702 | £6m |
| GloucestershireCounty, South West | 5.8% | 2.6% | +3.1 points | 5,899 | £125m |
| PlymouthUnitary authority, South West | 5.8% | 3.6% | +2.1 points | 2,267 | £51m |
| HillingdonLondon borough, London | 5.8% | 3.3% | +2.5 points | 3,189 | £76m |
| County DurhamUnitary authority, North East | 5.8% | 3.1% | +2.7 points | 4,260 | £36m |
| BarnetLondon borough, London | 5.7% | 2.6% | +3.1 points | 3,906 | none held |
| BrentLondon borough, London | 5.7% | 3.0% | +2.8 points | 2,865 | £20m |
| TraffordMetropolitan district, North West | 5.7% | 3.3% | +2.4 points | 2,571 | £32m |
| GatesheadMetropolitan district, North East | 5.7% | no like-for-like | — | 1,703 | £4m |
| RutlandUnitary authority, East Midlands | 5.6% | 3.0% | +2.6 points | 439 | £10m |
| Windsor and MaidenheadUnitary authority, South East | 5.6% | 2.9% | +2.8 points | 1,567 | £10m |
| SouthwarkLondon borough, London | 5.6% | 2.7% | +2.9 points | 2,625 | £22m |
| PeterboroughUnitary authority, East of England | 5.6% | 3.3% | +2.3 points | 2,341 | £11m |
| SuttonLondon borough, London | 5.5% | 3.0% | +2.6 points | 2,358 | £21m |
| OxfordshireCounty, South East | 5.5% | 2.2% | +3.3 points | 6,512 | £135m |
| HaveringLondon borough, London | 5.5% | 2.3% | +3.1 points | 2,408 | £69m |
| YorkUnitary authority, Yorkshire and The Humber | 5.5% | 2.1% | +3.4 points | 1,494 | £10m |
| North YorkshireUnitary authority, Not matched | 5.5% | no like-for-like | — | 4,698 | £4m |
| SandwellMetropolitan district, West Midlands | 5.5% | 2.4% | +3.1 points | 3,436 | none held |
| SloughUnitary authority, South East | 5.4% | 2.8% | +2.7 points | 1,877 | £25m |
| SunderlandMetropolitan district, North East | 5.4% | 2.7% | +2.7 points | 2,240 | £27m |
| WestminsterLondon borough, London | 5.4% | 2.6% | +2.8 points | 1,546 | £1m |
| East SussexCounty, South East | 5.4% | 3.7% | +1.7 points | 3,893 | £20m |
| Telford and WrekinUnitary authority, West Midlands | 5.4% | 3.3% | +2.0 points | 1,796 | £9m |
| HounslowLondon borough, London | 5.3% | 3.0% | +2.3 points | 2,480 | £18m |
| KirkleesMetropolitan district, Yorkshire and The Humber | 5.3% | 2.6% | +2.7 points | 3,531 | £80m |
| HartlepoolUnitary authority, North East | 5.2% | 2.3% | +2.9 points | 776 | £9m |
| Blackburn with DarwenUnitary authority, North West | 5.2% | 2.4% | +2.8 points | 1,549 | £5m |
| HertfordshireCounty, East of England | 5.1% | 1.9% | +3.2 points | 11,459 | £83m |
| Barking and DagenhamLondon borough, London | 5.1% | 2.2% | +2.9 points | 2,361 | none held |
| HarrowLondon borough, London | 5.1% | 2.6% | +2.5 points | 2,164 | £30m |
| WolverhamptonMetropolitan district, West Midlands | 5.1% | 2.6% | +2.4 points | 2,644 | £14m |
| BuckinghamshireUnitary authority, Not matched | 5.1% | no like-for-like | — | 5,002 | £43m |
| BedfordUnitary authority, East of England | 5.1% | 2.9% | +2.2 points | 1,839 | £2m |
| RedbridgeLondon borough, London | 5.1% | 2.4% | +2.7 points | 3,004 | £9m |
| EssexCounty, East of England | 5.0% | 3.3% | +1.8 points | 11,806 | £24m |
| WokinghamUnitary authority, South East | 5.0% | 2.7% | +2.3 points | 1,729 | £53m |
| Kensington and ChelseaLondon borough, London | 5.0% | 1.9% | +3.1 points | 1,161 | £8m |
| SolihullMetropolitan district, West Midlands | 5.0% | 3.0% | +2.0 points | 2,046 | £38m |
| CornwallUnitary authority, South West | 5.0% | 2.6% | +2.4 points | 3,654 | £81m |
| NewhamLondon borough, London | 4.9% | 0.8% | +4.1 points | 3,062 | £2m |
| LeicesterUnitary authority, East Midlands | 4.9% | 2.7% | +2.2 points | 3,019 | £38m |
| CoventryMetropolitan district, West Midlands | 4.8% | 2.3% | +2.5 points | 3,029 | none held |
| ReadingUnitary authority, South East | 4.7% | 2.6% | +2.2 points | 1,279 | £47m |
| BirminghamMetropolitan district, West Midlands | 4.7% | 3.2% | +1.5 points | 9,967 | none held |
| Bracknell ForestUnitary authority, South East | 4.7% | 2.3% | +2.4 points | 1,042 | £32m |
| CamdenLondon borough, London | 4.7% | 2.8% | +1.8 points | 1,344 | none held |
| DoncasterMetropolitan district, Yorkshire and The Humber | 4.6% | 2.5% | +2.2 points | 2,282 | £51m |
| Milton KeynesUnitary authority, South East | 4.6% | 2.9% | +1.6 points | 2,417 | none held |
| Richmond upon ThamesLondon borough, London | 4.1% | 2.5% | +1.6 points | 1,603 | £18m |
| LeedsMetropolitan district, Yorkshire and The Humber | 4.0% | 1.8% | +2.3 points | 5,477 | £35m |
| NottinghamUnitary authority, East Midlands | 3.5% | 1.6% | +1.9 points | 1,799 | none held |
| NottinghamshireCounty, East Midlands | 3.2% | 1.3% | +1.9 points | 4,156 | £40m |
| Isles of ScillyUnitary authority, South West | 2.5% | 2.5% | +-0.0 points | 6 | none held |
| City of LondonLondon borough, London | 0.5% | 0.3% | +0.2 points | 15 | none held |
Orange marker: England. Share is pupils with an EHC plan as a percentage of all pupils in schools in the council’s area (where the pupil goes to school, not where they live), January census. Councils reorganised since 2016 show no 2015/16 figure because their areas are not comparable. Deficit: the council’s cumulative special-needs overspend held in an unusable reserve at 31 March 2026 (MHCLG); “none held” also covers councils that did not return data. Differences between councils reflect local need, identification and decision practice together; the data cannot separate them.
The money: council deficits
Funding has not kept pace. Councils’ cumulative special-needs overspend reached £6.7bn at 31 March 2026, almost three times the £2.3bn two years earlier. The government has said it will cover 90% of the balance at that date, on conditions. That clears the stock; it does not change the yearly gap that creates it.
England, all councils
Cumulative unfunded special-needs overspend held in an unusable reserve.
- 31 March 2024£2.3bn
- 31 March 2025£4.0bn
- 31 March 2026£6.7bn
Ten largest council deficits, 31 March 2026
Councils with a deficit, £ million.
- Hampshire£346m
- Surrey£238m
- Norfolk£228m
- West Sussex£203m
- Worcestershire£181m
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole UA£180m
- Devon£176m
- Suffolk£164m
- Cheshire East UA£156m
- Warwickshire£150m
Local authority revenue expenditure and financing: multi-year outturn time series (column RS_resdsgadj_end_cy). DSG Adjustment Account at 31 March, £ million, negative = deficit. A reported balance held in an unusable reserve under the statutory override (extended to 31 March 2028), not annual spending. Separate category from 2022-23 only. The England total includes estimates for councils that had not returned data, so it is higher than the sum of the councils listed. The ten largest are a list of councils, not a ranking of how well each runs its service: deficits also reflect size and history.
What share of new EHC plans is issued within 20 weeks?
Fewer than half of measured new plans were issued within 20 weeks
Within 20 weeks43,997 · 46.1%
Took longer51,414 · 53.9%
43,997 issued within 20 weeks ÷ 95,411 new plans covered by the measure = 46.1% (England, calendar year 2025, statutory exceptions excluded).
How late the other 51,414 plans were
- More than 20 weeks, less than a year41,481 · 43.5%
- More than a year9,871 · 10.3%
- Not assigned to a band in the published table62
Scope: England · new EHC plans issued in calendar year 2025 · ages 0–25 · cases with a statutory exception excluded, as in DfE’s headline · counts plans issued, not requests refused or still open, and not whether support was delivered.
More than half of the new plans counted missed the legal deadline. Even an on-time plan does not prove that a child received the support promised.
England · Calendar year 2025 · Official statistics
Show the workings — Fewer than half of measured new plans were issued within 20 weeks
New education, health and care plans issued in England in 2025, by whether the final plan was issued within 20 weeks of the request. Statutory exceptions excluded, as in DfE’s headline measure.
51,414 of the 95,411 new plans covered by DfE’s measure took longer than the legal limit, and 9,871 took more than a year. On-time performance has fallen from 60.4% in 2019 while requests have roughly doubled. The measure judges only the paperwork: it cannot say whether the support written into the plan is then provided.
- Geography:
- England — New EHC plans issued during 2025, ages 0–25, excluding cases where a statutory exception applied
- Measure:
- Number and % of new plans covered by the measure
- Period:
- Calendar year 2025
- Status:
- Official statistics
- Calculation:
- Shares calculated from the published counts; they match DfE’s published percentages.
- Compare with:
- 45.5% when every case is counted; 60.4% in 2019
- Not included / breaks:
- The law sets a 20-week limit from request to final plan, with exceptions — for example school holidays or a child’s extended absence (SEND Regulations 2014, reg. 13). This counts plans that were issued. It is not the share of all requests completed — 34.8% of requests were refused, withdrawn or undecided — and not the share of children receiving suitable support.
Source: DfE, Education, health and care plans, reporting year 2026, Data files: EHC plans (caseload); timeliness of new plans (20 weeks); requests; annual reviews (released 25 June 2026).
View the data as a table
| Time to issue | New plans | % of measured plans |
|---|---|---|
| Within 20 weeks | 43,997 | 46.1% |
| More than 20 weeks, less than a year | 41,481 | 43.5% |
| More than a year | 9,871 | 10.3% |
| All measured new plans | 95,411 | 100% |
How many children and young people hold a plan?
More plans do not tell us whether support arrives
1996–2026 · recorded figures. Shading marks years without figures: this series starts in 2010.
More children and young people have support plans. The count does not show whether support arrives, or how much of the rise reflects greater need. Earlier systems covered different ages.
England · January 2010 to January 2026 · Official statistics
Show the workings — More plans do not tell us whether support arrives
Children and young people with a statement of SEN or an EHC plan, England, January 2010 to January 2026. Thousands.
The number of plans has risen every year since 2015, to 718,838 in January 2026, with earlier transition-period totals shown separately: the systems overlapped until 2018 and the age range widened, so no like-for-like growth rate is calculated across that transition. A plan is a legal document; the count shows how many exist, not whether the education, health and care it specifies is delivered. The data also cannot show how much of the rise reflects more need rather than more identification or families seeking legal certainty.
- Geography:
- England — Children and young people with a statement or EHC plan maintained by a local authority; ages 0–25 since the 2014 reforms
- Measure:
- Thousands of plans
- Period:
- January 2010 to January 2026
- Status:
- Official statistics
- Calculation:
- As published. 2010–2018 from the SEN2 2019 tables; 2019 onwards from the current release.
- Compare with:
- January 2025: 638,745
- Not included / breaks:
- From September 2014 EHC plans replaced statements over a transition to 2018, and could run to age 25 rather than ending at 16–19. Part of the rise is that wider age range, mostly young people in further education, so this is not a like-for-like count of the same group. The line is disconnected at January 2015 and 2019 to mark the transition boundaries.
Source: DfE, Education, health and care plans, reporting year 2026, Data files: EHC plans (caseload); timeliness of new plans (20 weeks); requests; annual reviews (released 25 June 2026).
View the data as a table
| January | Plans |
|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | 228,221 |
| Jan 2011 | 229,017 |
| Jan 2012 | 230,156 |
| Jan 2013 | 233,431 |
| Jan 2014 | 237,111 |
| Jan 2015 | 240,183 |
| Jan 2016 | 256,315 |
| Jan 2017 | 287,290 |
| Jan 2018 | 319,819 |
| Jan 2019 | 353,995 |
| Jan 2020 | 390,109 |
| Jan 2021 | 430,697 |
| Jan 2022 | 473,255 |
| Jan 2023 | 517,048 |
| Jan 2024 | 576,474 |
| Jan 2025 | 638,745 |
| Jan 2026 | 718,838 |
What do the longer record and families’ views tell us?
Annual data: Statements and EHC plans, with the transition separated
Stored official coverage starts in 2010. Statements and EHC plans overlap during the 2015–2018 transition; the wider age range prevents a like-for-like growth claim across regimes. Missing 1996–2009 observations are not zero. Counts do not measure support delivered or underlying prevalence. A dash means no comparable observation is supplied; it is not zero. England; January stock, with the post-2014 framework extending to age 25.
1996–2026; plans. No change is calculated across definition or assessment breaks.
| Year | Statements (2010–2014) | Transition (2015–2018) | EHC plans (2019 onwards) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–2009 | No comparable observations supplied | ||
| 2010 | 228,221 | — | — |
| 2011 | 229,017 | — | — |
| 2012 | 230,156 | — | — |
| 2013 | 233,431 | — | — |
| 2014 | 237,111 | — | — |
| 2015 | — | 240,183 | — |
| 2016 | — | 256,315 | — |
| 2017 | — | 287,290 | — |
| 2018 | — | 319,819 | — |
| 2019 | — | — | 353,995 |
| 2020 | — | — | 390,109 |
| 2021 | — | — | 430,697 |
| 2022 | — | — | 473,255 |
| 2023 | — | — | 517,048 |
| 2024 | — | — | 576,474 |
| 2025 | — | — | 638,745 |
| 2026 | — | — | 718,838 |
Annual data: New EHC plans issued within 20 weeks
Comparable stored observations cover 2019–2025. This measures timeliness among plans issued, not all requests, children waiting or the date support starts. Earlier years and 2026 are gaps. A dash means no comparable observation is supplied; it is not zero. England; new plans issued in each calendar year, excluding statutory exceptions.
1996–2026; %. No change is calculated across definition or assessment breaks.
| Year | Within 20 weeks (%) |
|---|---|
| 1996–2018 | No comparable observations supplied |
| 2019 | 60.4 |
| 2020 | 58 |
| 2021 | 59.9 |
| 2022 | 49.2 |
| 2023 | 50.3 |
| 2024 | 46.4 |
| 2025 | 46.1 |
| 2026 | No comparable observations supplied |
Parents’ reported confidence · England · May–June 2025
Would school listen to a concern about additional needs?
Survey-based evidence
DfE / Verian Parent, Pupil and Learner Voice surveyFieldwork: 21 May–13 June 2025England · parents’ reported confidence in state-funded schools
DfE asked parents whether they were confident their child’s school would listen to concerns about a potential special educational need. This measures confidence, not whether support was delivered or children’s needs were met.
Primary school parents
80% very or fairly confident
Published 95% interval: 77.2–83.2%. Unweighted sample: 1,138.
Secondary school parents
72% very or fairly confident
Published 95% interval: 69.0–75.3%. Unweighted sample: 1,694.
Question, sample and limitations
Exact question: “How confident are you that [YPFnam]’s school would listen to any concerns you may have about a potential special educational need affecting your child's learning or development?”
Parents of pupils in state-funded primary and secondary schools, years 1–11; fieldwork 21 May–13 June 2025. Online panel; probability recruitment from National Pupil Database; subsequent email/SMS invitations. Recruitment weights plus wave-specific response/attrition weighting; technical report pp.30–35.
Published 95% confidence intervals, calculated with SPSS Complex Samples; not a simple-random-sample approximation. Self-reported confidence, not measured school provision. Special-school parents excluded from this question. Nonresponse and panel attrition can remain after weighting. One dated wave; no trend or causal comparison.
Source table: senidentification_listen. Estimates use the published combined response and its interval; the intervals for separate answers were not added together.
Inspection findings show a gap between plans and families’ experiences
Ofsted and CQC: 84 full local-area inspections in England, January 2023–December 2025. Counts are inspected areas, not children or a representative sample of all areas.
Full inspections
- Typically positive experiences and outcomes16
- Inconsistent experiences and outcomes47
- Widespread or systemic failings21
Inspection data, coverage and limitations
| Typically positive experiences and outcomes | 16 |
|---|---|
| Inconsistent experiences and outcomes | 47 |
| Widespread or systemic failings | 21 |
The July 2026 release covers inspections completed by 31 December 2025 and published by 9 March 2026. Not every area has been inspected; annual cohorts differ and the January 2023 framework is not comparable with its predecessor. The 21 findings of widespread or systemic failings require monitoring. All five completed monitoring inspections found effective action on every priority action; these five do not establish that every area has improved. Inspection judgements are separate from the national administrative count of plans and are not an estimate of each child’s support.
Chapter 1 of 6
What is happening now?
Two groups are often run together. 1,319,780 pupils in schools were on SEN support in January 2026 — help arranged by the school, with no legal plan. 718,838 children and young people aged 0–25 held an education, health and care plan, a legal document a council must maintain; 538,547 of them were pupils counted in the school census. The two counts come from different collections and are never added together here.
How many pupils have special educational needs, with and without a plan?
Most pupils with special needs have no formal care plan
1996–2026 · recorded figures. Shading marks years without figures: this series starts in 2016.
Most pupils with special educational needs receive school support without a legal plan. National figures do not show how long this larger group waits for help.
England · January 2016 to January 2026 · Official statistics
Show the workings — Most pupils with special needs have no formal care plan
Pupils in all schools in England on SEN support and with an EHC plan, January 2016 to January 2026. Millions of pupils.
1,319,780 pupils were on SEN support in January 2026, up 33.0% since 2016; 538,547 had an EHC plan, 2.3 times the 2016 number. Plans have grown much faster, but SEN support is still the larger group — and it has no legal plan, no deadline and no national timeliness data.
- Geography:
- England — Pupils in all schools (state-funded, non-maintained special and independent), January school census
- Measure:
- Millions of pupils
- Period:
- January 2016 to January 2026
- Status:
- Official statistics
- Calculation:
- As published.
- Compare with:
- January 2016
- Not included / breaks:
- School pupils only: early years settings, colleges and young people not in school are not in this count, so the EHC plan line here is lower than the all-age plan count.
Source: DfE, Special educational needs in England, academic year 2025/26, Pupils in all schools, by type of SEN provision — 2016 to 2026 (released 11 June 2026).
View the data as a table
| January | SEN support | EHC plan |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2016 | 991,981 | 236,806 |
| Jan 2017 | 1,002,069 | 242,184 |
| Jan 2018 | 1,022,537 | 253,679 |
| Jan 2019 | 1,047,163 | 271,165 |
| Jan 2020 | 1,079,000 | 294,758 |
| Jan 2021 | 1,083,083 | 325,618 |
| Jan 2022 | 1,129,843 | 355,566 |
| Jan 2023 | 1,183,384 | 389,171 |
| Jan 2024 | 1,238,851 | 434,354 |
| Jan 2025 | 1,284,284 | 482,640 |
| Jan 2026 | 1,319,780 | 538,547 |
What the plans are for
The most common primary need recorded was Autistic spectrum disorder, for 226,723 plans in 2025/26.
Ages 0–25, all settingsEngland
Each plan is recorded against one primary need. A child may have several; only the primary one appears here, so this is not a count of how many children have each condition.
- Autistic spectrum disorder226,723 (31.5%)
- Speech, language and communication needs160,344 (22.3%)
- Social, emotional and mental health153,880 (21.4%)
- Moderate learning difficulty70,259 (9.8%)
- Physical disability25,501 (3.5%)
- Severe learning difficulty24,538 (3.4%)
- Specific learning difficulty16,949 (2.4%)
- Hearing impairment8,918 (1.2%)
- Profound and multiple learning difficulty8,695 (1.2%)
- Primary need not known7,832 (1.1%)
- Other difficulty or disability6,844 (1.0%)
- Visual impairment5,448 (0.8%)
- Multi-sensory impairment1,685 (0.2%)
- Down syndrome1,222 (0.2%)
Source: DfE, Education, health and care plans. Category names are the department's own, with abbreviations expanded.
View as table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 226,723 | 31.5% |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 160,344 | 22.3% |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 153,880 | 21.4% |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 70,259 | 9.8% |
| Physical disability | 25,501 | 3.5% |
| Severe learning difficulty | 24,538 | 3.4% |
| Specific learning difficulty | 16,949 | 2.4% |
| Hearing impairment | 8,918 | 1.2% |
| Profound and multiple learning difficulty | 8,695 | 1.2% |
| Primary need not known | 7,832 | 1.1% |
| Other difficulty or disability | 6,844 | 1.0% |
| Visual impairment | 5,448 | 0.8% |
| Multi-sensory impairment | 1,685 | 0.2% |
| Down syndrome | 1,222 | 0.2% |
A rising count is not the same as rising need
A rise in a category means more children and young people are being recorded with that need as their primary need. It does not by itself show that the underlying prevalence in the population rose by the same amount.
Chapter 2 of 6
From request to support: where do delays occur?
Councils received 162,702 requests for an assessment in 2025, against 82,329 in 2019. They agreed to assess 65.2% of 2025’s requests. The legal limit from request to final plan is 20 weeks; in 2025, 46.1% of new plans met it.
Has timeliness got better or worse?
On-time plans fell from 60.4% in 2019 to 46.1% in 2025
1996–2026 · recorded figures. Shading marks years without figures: this series starts in 2019.
Plans have become less likely to meet the deadline as requests have risen. The decline remains visible whether or not exceptional cases are counted.
England · 2019 to 2025 · Official statistics
Show the workings — On-time plans fell from 60.4% in 2019 to 46.1% in 2025
Share of new EHC plans issued within 20 weeks, England, 2019–2025, on DfE’s two published measures.
Timeliness held at around three in five until 2021, then dropped as requests climbed, and has stayed below half since 2024. The two measures move together, so the fall is not an artefact of how exceptions are counted.
- Geography:
- England — New EHC plans issued in each calendar year
- Measure:
- % of new plans
- Period:
- 2019 to 2025
- Status:
- Official statistics
- Calculation:
- As published.
- Compare with:
- 2019
- Not included / breaks:
- The two lines are the same plans, with and without the cases where a statutory exception applied.
Source: DfE, Education, health and care plans, reporting year 2026, Data files: EHC plans (caseload); timeliness of new plans (20 weeks); requests; annual reviews (released 25 June 2026).
View the data as a table
| Year | Excluding exceptions | All cases |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 60.4% | 58.7% |
| 2020 | 58.0% | 55.6% |
| 2021 | 59.9% | 57.9% |
| 2022 | 49.2% | 47.7% |
| 2023 | 50.3% | 49.1% |
| 2024 | 46.4% | 45.9% |
| 2025 | 46.1% | 45.5% |
Keeping plans up to date: annual reviews, 2025
Every plan must be reviewed at least once a year. Of 596,987 reviews due in 2025, 339,027 (56.8%) were completed in the year, 100,079 had been completed ahead of time, and 157,881 (26.4%) were not completed. This is the first year DfE has published it, so there is no trend yet.
Source: DfE, Education, health and care plans, reporting year 2026 — annual reviews data file, national totals.
Ages 0–25, all settingsEngland
The plan count is taken on census day each January; new and ceased plans are counted across the calendar year. Because the two cover different periods, new plans minus ceased plans does not equal the change in the total, and neither figure is wrong.
2019
Started53,899Ceased—2020
Started60,097Ceased—2021
Started62,180Ceased—2022
Started66,706Ceased34,7242023
Started84,428Ceased39,4192024
Started97,747Ceased44,8622025
Started110,708Ceased50,346
View as table
| Year | Plans started | Plans ceased |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 53,899 | — |
| 2020 | 60,097 | — |
| 2021 | 62,180 | — |
| 2022 | 66,706 | 34,724 |
| 2023 | 84,428 | 39,419 |
| 2024 | 97,747 | 44,862 |
| 2025 | 110,708 | 50,346 |
Chapter 3 of 6
Provision, places and specialist staff
45.5% of children and young people with an EHC plan were in mainstream settings in 2025/26.
The biggest gap in the evidence is here. A plan lists the education, health and care provision a child must receive. No national statistic records whether that provision is delivered, how soon, or by whom — so neither the rising number of plans nor timeliness can show whether support improved.
Ages 0–25, all settingsEngland
The seven top-level placement categories the release publishes. Shares are of all plans, including young people over 16 in further education and those educated elsewhere.
- Mainstream326,804 (45.5%)
- Special211,442 (29.4%)
- Further education100,815 (14.0%)
- Educated elsewhere62,386 (8.7%)
- Placement not known6,925 (1.0%)
- Alternative provision / PRU5,530 (0.8%)
- Non-maintained early years4,936 (0.7%)
Source: DfE, Education, health and care plans. The categories sum to the published total for this year.
View as table
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mainstream | 326,804 | 45.5% |
| Special | 211,442 | 29.4% |
| Further education | 100,815 | 14.0% |
| Educated elsewhere | 62,386 | 8.7% |
| Placement not known | 6,925 | 1.0% |
| Alternative provision / PRU | 5,530 | 0.8% |
| Non-maintained early years | 4,936 | 0.7% |
“Educated elsewhere” is not a small residual
Alongside mainstream, special and further education, the release separately counts young people educated elsewhere — including those not in education, employment or training, those educated at home, and those in arrangements made by a council or by parents. That group is larger than alternative provision and early years combined.
The specialists behind assessments
The Children and Families Act requires a local authority carrying out an EHC needs assessment to seek psychological advice. This workforce is therefore part of the statutory process, not a general staffing statistic. These figures count psychologists employed centrally by local authorities; those working privately or through other arrangements are not in this count, so it is not the whole profession.
Education staff, not pupilsEngland
Full-time equivalent and headcount are both shown because they move differently. A headcount rising faster than FTE means lower average contracted hours per person; it does not show that every worker reduced their hours. Headcount alone is not a measure of capacity.
1,72410/11
1,43411/12
1,46312/13
1,59413/14
1,36214/15
1,40415/16
1,36816/17
1,20617/18
1,65518/19
1,69419/20
1,69920/21
1,81721/22
1,93922/23
2,10223/24
2,19224/25
2,33225/26
Dark bars: the first measure. Grey bars: headcount.
Source: DfE, School workforce in England. Full-time equivalent shown dark, headcount grey.
View as table
| Period | Educational psychologists employed by local authorities | headcount |
|---|---|---|
| 2010/11 | 1,724 | 1,895 |
| 2011/12 | 1,434 | 1,728 |
| 2012/13 | 1,463 | 1,721 |
| 2013/14 | 1,594 | 1,721 |
| 2014/15 | 1,362 | 1,633 |
| 2015/16 | 1,404 | 1,741 |
| 2016/17 | 1,368 | 1,617 |
| 2017/18 | 1,206 | 1,478 |
| 2018/19 | 1,655 | 2,145 |
| 2019/20 | 1,694 | 2,013 |
| 2020/21 | 1,699 | 2,047 |
| 2021/22 | 1,817 | 2,162 |
| 2022/23 | 1,939 | 2,325 |
| 2023/24 | 2,102 | 2,546 |
| 2024/25 | 2,192 | 2,726 |
| 2025/26 | 2,332 | 3,023 |
2,332
Educational psychologists (FTE)
2025/26, up from 1,724 in 2010/11
3,023
Educational psychologists (headcount)
People counted separately from full-time-equivalent capacity
295,183
Teaching assistants (FTE)
2025/26, state-funded schools
Two series near each other is not a finding
The number of educational psychologists and the number of EHC plans are two separate published series covering different things. Placing them near each other invites a conclusion neither dataset supports: nothing here shows that assessment capacity caused any change in timeliness, or that it did not. The two are shown because both are part of the statutory process, not because the data links them.
Chapter 4 of 6
Outcomes and appeals
At key stage 4 in 2024/25, average Attainment 8 was 14.8 for pupils with an EHC plan, 33.8 for pupils on SEN support, and 50.2 for pupils with no identified SEN. These are school pupils — a different population from the all-age plan count.
School pupils onlyEngland
Attainment 8 measures achievement across eight qualifications. The maximum is 90.
- No identified SEN (507,595 pupils)50.2
- SEN support (82,294 pupils)33.8
- EHC plan (34,297 pupils)14.8
These groups are not comparable populations
These groups are not comparable populations. A child has an EHC plan because an assessment concluded they need provision beyond what a school ordinarily provides — the group is defined by the presence of need. The gap between the groups therefore describes the groups, and says nothing about whether the support worked. No published dataset supports reading it either way, and this page does not.
Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance. State-funded schools, England.
View as table
| Group | Pupils | Average Attainment 8 score, key stage 4, 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| No identified SEN | 507,595 | 50.2 |
| SEN support | 82,294 | 33.8 |
| EHC plan | 34,297 | 14.8 |
School pupils onlyEngland
The share of eligible pupils reaching the expected standard in all three subjects.
- No identified SEN (502,060 pupils)74%
- SEN support (109,208 pupils)29%
- EHC plan (37,161 pupils)9%
These groups are not comparable populations
These groups are not comparable populations. A child has an EHC plan because an assessment concluded they need provision beyond what a school ordinarily provides — the group is defined by the presence of need. The gap between the groups therefore describes the groups, and says nothing about whether the support worked. No published dataset supports reading it either way, and this page does not.
Source: DfE, Key stage 2 attainment. State-funded schools, England.
View as table
| Group | Pupils | Meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, key stage 2, 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| No identified SEN | 502,060 | 74% |
| SEN support | 109,208 | 29% |
| EHC plan | 37,161 | 9% |
The key stage 4 breakdown by SEN provision begins in 2018/19; earlier years are published without it. Key stage 2 assessments were cancelled in 2019/20 and 2020/21, so those years are absent from the series rather than estimated. Key stage 2 and key stage 4 pupils in state-funded schools in England. This is a school-pupil population. It is NOT the 0–25 EHC-plan population used elsewhere in this chapter, and the two must never be divided by one another.
Association, not cause
These are associations. SEND intersects with disadvantage, health and school factors, and the data here do not isolate cause.
Appeals to the tribunal
Appeals lodged with the First-tier Tribunal (SEND) rose from 3,397 in 2009/10 to 29,446 in 2025/26 — 8.7 times as many.
An appeal is not a child
An appeal is not a child, and appeals cannot be compared with plans to produce an appeal rate: the two are published on different reference periods, cover different populations, and one child may bring more than one appeal. The count below is of appeals lodged.
Appeals, not childrenEngland
Financial years with all four quarters published. The right of appeal attaches to specific decisions — a refusal to assess, a refusal to issue a plan, the content of a plan, or a decision to cease one.
3,39709/10
3,38410/11
3,53011/12
3,54412/13
4,15513/14
3,73414/15
3,23615/16
4,27716/17
5,03917/18
6,37418/19
7,69419/20
8,13020/21
10,09421/22
13,36022/23
17,55923/24
23,86124/25
29,44625/26
Dark bars: the first measure. Grey bars: appeals disposed of.
Source: Ministry of Justice, Tribunals statistics quarterly.
View as table
| Period | Appeals lodged with the First-tier Tribunal (SEND) | appeals disposed of |
|---|---|---|
| 2009/10 | 3,397 | 2,879 |
| 2010/11 | 3,384 | 2,948 |
| 2011/12 | 3,530 | 3,756 |
| 2012/13 | 3,544 | 3,557 |
| 2013/14 | 4,155 | 3,615 |
| 2014/15 | 3,734 | 3,631 |
| 2015/16 | 3,236 | 3,141 |
| 2016/17 | 4,277 | 3,721 |
| 2017/18 | 5,039 | 4,337 |
| 2018/19 | 6,374 | 4,511 |
| 2019/20 | 7,694 | 7,090 |
| 2020/21 | 8,130 | 7,871 |
| 2021/22 | 10,094 | 8,924 |
| 2022/23 | 13,360 | 10,941 |
| 2023/24 | 17,559 | 14,495 |
| 2024/25 | 23,861 | 19,464 |
| 2025/26 | 29,446 | 22,874 |
Latest partial year: April–June 2026 recorded 8,821 appeals received and 6,861 disposed of (provisional). This one-quarter total is not plotted against complete financial years above.
How appeals were decided is not shown here
The receipts/disposals CSV used here does not contain decisions or whether appeals succeeded. No success rate is inferred from these counts; disposals include cases ending without a substantive hearing.
Fewer appeals would not by itself show better support: families may stop appealing because the process is slow or costly. A rise can reflect more plans as much as worse decisions.
Access arrangements in exams
In 2024/25, between 345,055 and 534,390 access arrangements were approved for GCSE, AS and A level students in England.
On 17 July 2025 Ofqual withdrew its published access-arrangements statistics covering 2014 to 2024. Ofqual, Ofqual withdraws access arrangements statistics (17 July 2025) ↗
Exam candidatesEngland
Each bar spans the published lower and upper bound. There is no point estimate because Ofqual does not publish one.
- 2015/16152,385 – 307,080
- 2016/17178,135 – 321,110
- 2017/18209,525 – 351,735
- 2018/19223,005 – 349,570
- 2019/20236,025 – 351,120
- 2020/21210,670 – 309,530
- 2021/22239,720 – 339,110
- 2022/23267,130 – 380,190
- 2023/24302,830 – 430,500
- 2024/25345,055 – 534,390
Both bounds are shown everywhere, and they are never averaged. The midpoint of a published range is a number nobody published, and quoting one here would repeat in miniature the error that caused the original statistics to be withdrawn.
Source: Ofqual, Access arrangements for GCSE, AS and A level: 2024 to 2025 academic year. Official statistics in development.
View as table
| Period | Lower bound | Upper bound |
|---|---|---|
| 2015/16 | 152,385 | 307,080 |
| 2016/17 | 178,135 | 321,110 |
| 2017/18 | 209,525 | 351,735 |
| 2018/19 | 223,005 | 349,570 |
| 2019/20 | 236,025 | 351,120 |
| 2020/21 | 210,670 | 309,530 |
| 2021/22 | 239,720 | 339,110 |
| 2022/23 | 267,130 | 380,190 |
| 2023/24 | 302,830 | 430,500 |
| 2024/25 | 345,055 | 534,390 |
Access arrangements and SEND are not the same thing
GCSE, AS and A level students in England with an approved access arrangement. Not all have SEND, and not all students with SEND have an access arrangement.
Chapter 5 of 6
Funding and reform
High needs funding allocated through the national funding formula rose from £6.18bn in 2019-20 to £11.45bn in 2025-26, an increase of 85% in cash terms.
Local authorities, not childrenEngland
These are allocations — money distributed to local authorities through the high needs national funding formula. They are not spending, and not outturn. What an authority actually spent, and whether it overspent, is reported separately in its section 251 return.
£6.2bn19-20
£7.2bn20-21
£8.1bn21-22
£8.9bn22-23
£9.7bn23-24
£10.5bn24-25
£11.4bn25-26
Source: DfE, National funding formula tables for schools and high needs, each year's own table.
View as table
| Period | High needs budget allocated through the national funding formula |
|---|---|
| 2019-20 | £6.2bn |
| 2020-21 | £7.2bn |
| 2021-22 | £8.1bn |
| 2022-23 | £8.9bn |
| 2023-24 | £9.7bn |
| 2024-25 | £10.5bn |
| 2025-26 | £11.4bn |
Cash, not real terms
These are cash figures as published. They are not adjusted for inflation, and this page does not adjust them, because the deflator choice would be a UK Facts judgement rather than a published one. Over this period general prices rose substantially, so the real-terms increase is smaller than the cash increase. Read the cash series as what was allocated, not as what it bought.
Allocated is not spent
An allocation is money distributed to local authorities. It is not spending, and it is not the same as whether an authority’s high needs budget balanced. Many authorities have carried deficits on the high needs block; that is reported in their own section 251 returns and audited accounts, not in the allocation tables used here, so no deficit figure appears on this page.
The ten largest allocations, 2025-26
Largely a measure of how big an authority is. Shown as amounts, not as a ranking of anything.
View as table
| Local authority | Region | Allocation |
|---|---|---|
| Kent | South East | £344.4m |
| Birmingham | West Midlands | £306.4m |
| Essex | East Of England | £259.6m |
| Surrey | South East | £239.1m |
| Hampshire | South East | £222.4m |
| Lancashire | North West | £218.1m |
| Hertfordshire | East Of England | £205.7m |
| Norfolk | East Of England | £152.7m |
| Leeds | Yorkshire And The Humber | £148.3m |
| ESFA | Esfa | £145.7m |
What is proposed, and what is law
This tracker records status, not merit. It does not say whether any proposal is a good idea — that is a political question — only whether it is a proposal, a bill, or the law. The distinction matters because a family reading about a change will want to know whether it applies to them yet, and the proposed legal reforms are not yet in force. Funded preparatory activity is recorded separately and does not establish delivery to every child.
- In forceIn force since September 2014
EHC plans and the 0–25 framework
Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014 is the law currently in force. Everything described elsewhere on this page — the duty to secure provision, the 20-week limit, the right of appeal — comes from it and is unchanged.
Children and Families Act 2014, Part 3 ↗ - Proposal onlyPublished 23 February 2026
Schools white paper: Every child achieving and thriving
Published on 23 February 2026, setting out the government’s intended direction for SEND. A white paper is a statement of policy intention. It changes nothing on its own, and none of what follows below has taken legal effect.
DfE, Every child achieving and thriving ↗ - Proposal onlyProposed February 2026
Individual support plans for every child with SEND in school
The white paper proposes a new legal requirement on schools to produce an individual support plan for every child with SEND, drawn up by teachers and specialists rather than by the local authority. This would be a new duty and would require legislation.
DfE, Every child achieving and thriving ↗ - Proposal onlyStated February 2026
EHC plans retained, with transition from 2030
The government has stated that EHC plans are retained and that existing plans and protections remain in place until at least September 2030; that transition from a mainstream EHC plan to an individual support plan would begin only in 2030; that children in year 3 or older would not transition until the end of secondary school; and that a child holding a special-school place in 2029 could keep it until they finish education. These are stated commitments in a policy document, not statutory guarantees.
DfE, Radical expansion in rights for children with SEND ↗ - Announced, not introducedAnnounced in the 2026 King’s Speech
Education for All Bill
The bill announced to legislate the white paper. Checked against the UK Parliament Bills API on the verification date: no exact bill of this title appears in the complete 74-result title search across sessions, so it has been announced but not introduced. Until it is introduced, passed and brought into force, none of the proposals above is law.
UK Parliament, Bills before Parliament ↗ - Proposal onlyChecked 21 October 2026
Status under the current government
The white paper was published by the previous government, which ended on 20 July 2026. The consultation closed on 18 May 2026. We found no published response, no Bill and no new timetable. The white paper’s own dates, with the new system not expected before September 2029 and no change to existing plans before at least September 2030, are the last stated.
GOV.UK, SEND reform consultation page ↗ - Funded implementation; outcomes unverifiedAnnounced 9 February 2026; explanatory note read 21 October 2026
High Needs Stability Grant: 90% of council deficits at 31 March 2026
The government said it will cover 90% of the special-needs deficit councils held in an unusable reserve at 31 March 2026, paid in 2026-27 and conditional on an approved local SEND reform plan. Councils keep the other 10%. The Safety Valve programme closed on 1 April 2026. The statutory override that keeps these deficits off council balance sheets runs to 31 March 2028. No total has been published by the government; 90% of the £6.7bn national balance would be about £6.0bn, which is our arithmetic, not a published figure.
DfE, Explanatory note on the government’s approach to dedicated schools grant deficits ↗ - Funded implementation; outcomes unverifiedYear-one guidance, June 2026; checked 11 October 2026
Experts at Hand: funded first-year implementation
DfE and NHS England guidance sets out £429 million available for 2026/27, with initial delivery expected from September 2026 and expansion in later years. Local authorities and integrated care boards share responsibility. This is additional to, and must not replace, provision in EHC plans. Funding and guidance are not evidence that every area has delivered the offer or that outcomes have improved.
DfE and NHS England, Experts at Hand: developing and delivering the offer in year 1 ↗ - Proposal onlyAnnounced February 2026
Funding announced alongside the white paper
The government announced an inclusion grant of £1.6 billion over three years from 2026/27, £3.7 billion for more than 60,000 specialist places, £1.8 billion for an "Experts at Hand" programme, and £200 million for teacher training. Announced spending is not the same as spending that has occurred, and these figures are recorded here as announcements.
DfE, Radical expansion in rights for children with SEND ↗
Parliamentary status checked against the UK Parliament Bills API on 2026-10-21. This tracker is refreshed when the underlying status changes, not on a schedule.
View as table
| Item | Status | Stated |
|---|---|---|
| EHC plans and the 0–25 framework | In force | In force since September 2014 |
| Schools white paper: Every child achieving and thriving | Proposal only | Published 23 February 2026 |
| Individual support plans for every child with SEND in school | Proposal only | Proposed February 2026 |
| EHC plans retained, with transition from 2030 | Proposal only | Stated February 2026 |
| Education for All Bill | Announced, not introduced | Announced in the 2026 King’s Speech |
| Status under the current government | Proposal only | Checked 21 October 2026 |
| High Needs Stability Grant: 90% of council deficits at 31 March 2026 | Funded implementation; outcomes unverified | Announced 9 February 2026; explanatory note read 21 October 2026 |
| Experts at Hand: funded first-year implementation | Funded implementation; outcomes unverified | Year-one guidance, June 2026; checked 11 October 2026 |
| Funding announced alongside the white paper | Proposal only | Announced February 2026 |
Every statistic on this page describes the system under the 2014 Act. None has been adjusted for the proposals above, because none has taken effect.
What is established, and what is argued
Levels 1 and 2 are what the published data shows. Levels 3 and 4 are questions people argue about, sorted by whether the data could in principle settle them. Putting them in the same list, clearly separated, is the honest alternative to either asserting an explanation or leaving the questions out.
- Level 1 — Directly published
The number of children and young people with an EHC plan has risen every year in the published series, and so has the number of requests for assessment.
Directly published by DfE in the EHC-plan release. Nothing is inferred.
- Level 1 — Directly published
High needs funding allocated through the national funding formula has risen every year in the published series.
Directly published by DfE in each year’s high needs NFF table.
- Level 1 — Directly published
Appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (SEND) have risen substantially over the published series.
Directly published by the Ministry of Justice in Tribunals statistics quarterly.
- Level 2 — Association in the data
Pupils with an EHC plan attain markedly lower average scores at key stage 2 and key stage 4 than pupils with no identified SEN.
An association between two published measures. It is not a causal finding, and the groups differ by construction — see the note on selection.
- Level 3 — Competing explanations
Why the number of plans is rising.
Rising underlying need, improved identification, changed thresholds, population growth, and families seeking a plan because SEN Support did not deliver are all offered as explanations, including by government and by the sector. The published statistics count plans and requests; they do not separate these, and no figure on this site adjudicates between them.
- Level 3 — Competing explanations
Why appeals are rising, and why so many are lodged relative to plans issued.
This could reflect more decisions being made, more decisions being contested, better awareness of the right of appeal, or worse decisions. The tribunal statistics record volumes, not the reason a case was brought.
- Level 4 — Not answerable from this data
Whether the provision specified in plans is actually delivered.
No national dataset records delivery. The statistics record that plans exist and what is written in them.
- Level 4 — Not answerable from this data
Whether a child would have done better with different support.
This requires a counterfactual that no observational dataset contains. It is not a gap in the statistics; it is outside what they can answer.
Chapter 6 of 6
Rights and definitions
A reference section: what the law says a plan is, the statutory steps, how the system got here, and the questions the national data cannot answer.
A child or young person has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A learning difficulty or disability means either a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others the same age, or a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream settings.
Children and Families Act 2014, section 20 ↗An EHC plan is a legal document maintained by a local authority. It specifies the child or young person’s special educational needs, the outcomes sought, and the special educational provision required. Where the plan specifies special educational provision, the local authority must secure that provision.
Children and Families Act 2014, sections 37 and 42 ↗The framework runs from birth to age 25, covering early years settings, schools, further education and young people educated elsewhere. This is why an EHC-plan count is not a school-pupil count.
Children and Families Act 2014, Part 3 ↗The statutory route
Each stage is a statutory step with a legal test and, in most cases, a deadline. Appeal rights attach to specific decisions, so they are shown against those decisions.
- 1SEN Support in school
Most children identified with special educational needs are supported by their school without a plan, under a four-part cycle the Code of Practice calls the graduated approach: assess, plan, do, review. A plan is not the entry point to support, and a school cannot require one before it acts.
- 2Request for an EHC needs assessment162,702requests in the latest year
A parent, a young person over 16, or a school or other institution can ask the local authority to carry out an assessment. Others, including health and social-care professionals, can bring a child to the authority’s attention.
- 3Decision whether to assess — 6 weeks
The local authority must decide whether to carry out an assessment and tell the family within six weeks of the request. The test is whether the child may have special educational needs and may need provision through a plan.
If refused: The family can appeal the refusal to assess to the First-tier Tribunal (SEND). Mediation must be considered first, but a family can decline it and still appeal.
- 4The assessment
The authority must seek advice and information from the family, the school or setting, an educational psychologist, health, social care, and anyone else the family reasonably requests. Advice must be provided within six weeks of being asked for.
- 5Decision whether to issue a plan
After assessing, the authority decides whether special educational provision through a plan is necessary. If it decides not to, it must say why.
If refused: A decision not to issue a plan after assessment can also be appealed to the First-tier Tribunal (SEND).
- 6Draft plan and choice of setting
The family receives a draft and has at least 15 days to comment and to say which school or setting they want named. The authority must name that setting unless it would be unsuitable, incompatible with the efficient education of others, or an inefficient use of resources.
- 7Final plan — 20 weeks from the request46.1%issued within 20 weeks
The whole process, from the request arriving to the final plan being issued, must take no more than 20 weeks. A small number of statutory exceptions can extend it.
Right of appeal: The content of a final plan — the description of need, the provision, and the setting named — can be appealed to the First-tier Tribunal (SEND).
- 8Annual review
A plan must be reviewed at least every twelve months. The review can leave the plan unchanged, amend it, or start the process of ceasing it.
- 9Ceasing the plan50,346plans ceased in the latest year
A plan ends when the authority decides the provision is no longer necessary, or when the young person leaves education. There is no automatic end at 18: the plan runs while it is needed, up to 25.
Right of appeal: A decision to cease a plan can be appealed to the First-tier Tribunal (SEND).
Stages without a figure are stages the official release does not publish a volume for. Nothing here is estimated.
Children and Families Act 2014, Part 3; SEND Regulations 2014; SEND Code of Practice 0–25. Volumes against the request, final-plan and ceasing stages are from the DfE release and refer to 2025.
Six common assumptions that are not the case
Common misconception
“You need a diagnosis to get an EHC plan.”
What the law says
The legal test is educational need and the provision required to meet it, not a diagnosis. Section 20 defines special educational needs by learning difficulty or disability and the provision called for — it does not require a medical diagnosis, and no diagnosis is by itself a qualification.
Basis: Children and Families Act 2014, section 20; SEND Code of Practice paragraph 6.23 on identifying need rather than labelling.
Children and Families Act 2014, s.20 ↗Common misconception
“Only a school can request an assessment.”
What the law says
A parent, a young person aged 16 to 25, or a school or other institution can make the request directly to the local authority. A family does not need the school to agree, and does not need to go through the school at all.
Basis: Children and Families Act 2014, section 36(1).
Children and Families Act 2014, s.36 ↗Common misconception
“A plan means a special school.”
What the law says
Most children and young people with an EHC plan are not in special schools. The published placement figures on this page show the actual split. The Act also contains a general presumption in favour of mainstream education where a parent has not expressed a preference for a particular setting.
Basis: Children and Families Act 2014, section 33; DfE EHC-plan statistics, placement breakdown.
Children and Families Act 2014, s.33 ↗Common misconception
“A plan is a wish-list — schools do what they can.”
What the law says
Where a plan specifies special educational provision, the local authority must secure it. This is a duty, not a target, and it is not conditional on the authority’s budget.
Basis: Children and Families Act 2014, section 42(2).
Children and Families Act 2014, s.42 ↗Common misconception
“Support stops at 18.”
What the law says
The framework runs to 25. A plan is maintained while the young person is in education or training and the provision is still needed; it does not end automatically at 16, 18 or on leaving school.
Basis: Children and Families Act 2014, sections 45 and 46.
Children and Families Act 2014, s.45 ↗Common misconception
“SEN Support and an EHC plan are the same thing, counted the same way.”
What the law says
They are different statuses and they appear in different statistical releases. EHC plans are published in an all-age 0–25 release; SEN Support is published in the school census, covering school pupils only. Adding or comparing them without saying which population each covers produces a wrong number.
Basis: DfE, Education, health and care plans; DfE, Special educational needs in England. Different populations, different releases.
DfE, Education, health and care plans ↗
How the system got here
This is a record of what was legislated and published, not an assessment of any of it. The 2026 white paper is included because it is published government policy; it is marked as proposal, not law.
1970
Every child becomes entitled to education
The Education (Handicapped Children) Act ended the category of children deemed "unsuitable for education at school" and brought responsibility for their education under local education authorities. Before this, some children were outside the school system entirely.
Education (Handicapped Children) Act 1970 ↗1978
The Warnock Report introduces "special educational needs"
The committee of enquiry chaired by Mary Warnock replaced categories of handicap with the concept of special educational needs, defined by the provision a child requires rather than by a medical label. It is the origin of the framework still in use.
Report of the Committee of Enquiry into the Education of Handicapped Children and Young People (1978) ↗1981
Statements of special educational needs
The Education Act 1981 implemented Warnock, creating the statutory "statement" — a legally enforceable document setting out a child’s needs and required provision. This is the direct predecessor of the EHC plan.
Education Act 1981 ↗1994
The first Code of Practice
A statutory Code of Practice set out for the first time a staged model of identification and support in schools, with a statement as the final stage.
Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs (1994)2001
Disability discrimination reaches education
The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 made it unlawful for schools to discriminate against disabled pupils and introduced duties to make reasonable adjustments. These duties now sit in the Equality Act 2010 and run alongside — not inside — the SEND framework.
Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 ↗2010
The Equality Act consolidates disability duties
Disability became one of nine protected characteristics. Schools owe reasonable-adjustment duties to disabled pupils whether or not the pupil has an EHC plan, which is why a child can have rights under the Equality Act and no plan at all.
Equality Act 2010 ↗2014
Statements become EHC plans, and the age range extends to 25
Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014 replaced statements with Education, Health and Care plans, extended the framework from 16 to 25, introduced personal budgets and the local offer, and required education, health and care to plan jointly. Every statistical series on this page that crosses 2014 crosses a definitional break because of this Act.
Children and Families Act 2014, Part 3 ↗2015
School Action and School Action Plus become SEN Support
The two pre-existing school-level categories were merged into a single SEN Support category. The recorded SEN population changed on the definition, and any long percentage series crosses this break.
SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years ↗2019
Parliament examines the 2014 reforms
The Commons Education Committee reported on the implementation of the 2014 Act, and the government announced a cross-department SEND review. Both are part of the published record of how the reformed system was assessed by its own legislature.
House of Commons Education Committee, Special educational needs and disabilities (2019) ↗2023
SEND and alternative provision improvement plan
The government published its response to the SEND review, setting out proposals including national standards and changes to the way places and funding are planned.
DfE, SEND and alternative provision improvement plan (2023) ↗2026
Schools white paper proposes the largest change since 2014
Every child achieving and thriving, published on 23 February 2026, proposed a new statutory individual support plan for every child with SEND in school, alongside retained and revised EHC plans for more intensive support. The government stated that existing EHC plans and protections remain in place until at least September 2030, and announced legislation through an Education for All Bill. Nothing in the white paper has changed the law yet; the statistics on this page describe the system as it currently operates.
DfE, Every child achieving and thriving (2026) ↗
The other three nations
Education is devolved. Every figure on this page is England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland operate different frameworks with different legal definitions, and their figures are not directly comparable.
Registered break — Wales
- 2021 to 2025 — Legal and definitional (Wales). Wales replaced the SEN framework — School Action, School Action Plus and statements — with the Additional Learning Needs framework and individual development plans under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018, phased in from 2021. The Welsh Government states that from September 2025 the ALN system is the sole system for supporting children and young people with ALN in Wales. Across the transition the recorded count falls from 105,575 pupils (22.6%) in 2016/17 to 39,850 (8.8%) in 2025/26. That is a change in what is counted and on what basis, not a fall in need of that size, and pre-reform SEN categories are not equivalent to post-reform IDPs. source ↗
These figures do not compare
These are four different legal frameworks producing four different statistics. They are placed side by side so a reader can see what each nation measures, NOT so the numbers can be compared. Scotland's Additional Support Needs is a far broader category than an English EHC plan; Northern Ireland's statement is closer to an EHC plan but covers school pupils only. There is no common measure across the four nations, and this site does not construct one.
England
Children and young people with an Education, Health and Care plan
718,8382025/26
- Population:
- 0 to 25
- Framework:
- Children and Families Act 2014
Scotland
Pupils recorded as having Additional Support Needs
299,4452025
43.0% of the school roll
- Population:
- School pupils
- Framework:
- Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004
Northern Ireland
Pupils with a statement of Special Educational Needs (Stage 3)
30,6492025/26
69,186 at Stages 1 to 3
- Population:
- School pupils
- Framework:
- Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, as amended
Wales
Pupils recorded with Additional Learning Needs or special educational needs
39,8502025/26
8.8% of pupils · 39,535 hold an individual development plan · 315 transferred to the ALN system and awaiting a decision
Framework change: Wales is part-way through replacing one legal framework with another, and the count reflects that. In 2003/04 the figure counted School Action, School Action Plus and statements. In 2025/26 it counts individual development plans under the Additional Learning Needs framework, and no pupil remains recorded under the old categories. The fall across the series is a change in what is counted, not a fall in need of that size.
- Population:
- School pupils in maintained schools
- Framework:
- Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018
What the published data cannot tell you
Whether need is rising
The statistics count plans, requests and recorded needs — that is, they count the system’s activity. A rise in plans is consistent with rising underlying need, with better identification, with changed thresholds, with population growth, or with any combination. The published data does not separate them, and no figure on this page should be read as a measure of prevalence.
Whether a child is getting the provision in their plan
There is no national dataset of whether specified provision is actually delivered. The statistics record that plans exist and what is written in them, not what happens in classrooms.
Whether outcomes are better with a plan than without
Children with plans differ systematically from children without them — that is the point of the assessment. Comparing their outcomes measures the difference between the groups, not the effect of the plan. No published source supports a causal reading, and this page does not offer one.
How local authorities compare on quality
Local figures show volumes and timeliness. They do not show quality of assessment, appropriateness of provision, or whether a refusal was right. A fast authority is not necessarily a good one, and a slow one is not necessarily a bad one.
How England compares with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Education is devolved and the four nations use different legal frameworks and different definitions. There is no common measure to compare, so this chapter does not construct one.
Technical notes: every computed statement, populations and a declared interest
Everything on this page comes from a published source that is linked: primary legislation, the statutory Code of Practice, Department for Education statistical releases, and parliamentary papers. Nothing is drawn from professional or sector experience. Where the published record does not answer a question, this page says the data does not answer it rather than filling the gap.
Covers all children and young people aged 0 to 25 with an EHC plan, including those in early years settings, further education, and those educated elsewhere. This is NOT a school-pupil population and must never be used as a numerator or denominator against school-census SEN figures.
Series breaks: statements were replaced by EHC plans from 2014 (with the age range extended to 25), and School Action and School Action Plus were merged into SEN support in 2015. Charts that cross a break mark it.
A declared interest: the owner of this site works in SEND provision. That is disclosed because readers are entitled to know it, and it is why every statement on this page is tied to a published source.
View as table
| Statement | Calculation | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 718,838 children and young people had an EHC plan in 2025/26, 12.5% more than the year before. | change = (latest − previous) / previous × 100 | Ages 0–25, all settings |
| The number of EHC plans has risen 103% since 2018/19, from 353,995 to 718,838. | (latest − first) / first × 100 over the published series | Ages 0–25, all settings |
| 110,708 new plans started and 50,346 ceased during 2025. | Published calendar-year counts; not differenced against the January stock | Ages 0–25, all settings |
| 162,702 requests for an EHC needs assessment were received in 2025. | Published count | Ages 0–25, all settings |
| 46.1% of new plans were issued within the 20-week statutory limit in 2025. | DfE headline measure, excluding cases where a statutory exception applies | Ages 0–25, all settings |
| 45.5% of children and young people with an EHC plan were in mainstream settings in 2025/26. | mainstream / all plans × 100, using the EHC-plan release’s own placement categories | Ages 0–25, all settings |
| The most common primary need recorded was Autistic spectrum disorder, for 226,723 plans in 2025/26. | Largest primary-need category in the published taxonomy | Ages 0–25, all settings |
| Across 149 local authorities, the share of new plans issued within 20 weeks ranged from 5% to 100%, with a median of 56.6%. | Minimum, maximum and median of the DfE-published per-authority percentage; no denominator is computed here | Ages 0–25, all settings |
| Hampshire held 20,499 plans and issued 52% of new plans within 20 weeks, agreeing to assess 78.8% of the requests it received. | Published per-authority figures, quoted directly | Ages 0–25, all settings |
| At key stage 4 in 2024/25, average Attainment 8 was 14.8 for pupils with an EHC plan, 33.8 for pupils on SEN support, and 50.2 for pupils with no identified SEN. | Published averages, quoted directly. No rate is computed across populations | School pupils |
| At key stage 2 in 2024/25, 9% of pupils with an EHC plan met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 29% on SEN support and 74% with no identified SEN. | Published percentages, quoted directly | School pupils |
| High needs funding allocated through the national funding formula rose from £6.18bn in 2019-20 to £11.45bn in 2025-26, an increase of 85% in cash terms. | (latest − first) / first × 100, cash terms, not adjusted for inflation | School pupils |
| Appeals lodged with the First-tier Tribunal (SEND) rose from 3,397 in 2009/10 to 29,446 in 2025/26 — 8.7 times as many. | Sum of the four published quarters in each complete financial year; part-years excluded | School pupils |
| In 2024/25, between 345,055 and 534,390 access arrangements were approved for GCSE, AS and A level students in England. | Ofqual publishes a lower and an upper bound. Both are carried; they are never averaged | School pupils |
Last verified 2026-10-08. Data: DfE, Education, health and care plans, England (Reporting year 2026).
Why it is happening
Our analysis
Specialists take years to train and councils face tight budgets. National figures show whether plans are written on time, but not whether the promised help arrives.
Who is affected most
Who feels this most?
Does where you live change the wait?
Some councils issue almost every plan on time; 20 issue fewer than one in five
Local authorities
- 0–9%11
- 10–19%9
- 20–29%22
- 30–39%15
- 40–49%9
- 50–59%16
- 60–69%11
- 70–79%14
- 80–89%17
- 90–100%25
Waiting times vary sharply between councils. The largest councils include some of the slowest, which pulls down the national result.
England, local authorities · Calendar year 2025 · Official statistics
Show the workings — Some councils issue almost every plan on time; 20 issue fewer than one in five
Local authorities in England by share of new EHC plans issued within 20 weeks in 2025 (statutory exceptions excluded), grouped in ten-point bands.
Council results run from 5.0% to 100.0%. The typical (median) council issued 56.6% of new plans on time — above the England figure of 46.1%, because several of the largest authorities are among the slowest. Hampshire issued 52.0%. Where a family lives makes a large difference to how long it waits.
- Geography:
- England, local authorities — 149 local authorities with a published figure
- Measure:
- Number of local authorities
- Period:
- Calendar year 2025
- Status:
- Official statistics
- Calculation:
- Authorities counted into ten-point bands of their published percentage.
- Compare with:
- England: 46.1%
- Not included / breaks:
- Each council counts equally, whatever its size; large councils with low rates pull the England figure below the typical council. Timeliness is not quality: a fast decision is not necessarily a good one.
Source: DfE, Education, health and care plans, reporting year 2026, Data files: EHC plans (caseload); timeliness of new plans (20 weeks); requests; annual reviews (released 25 June 2026).
View the data as a table
| Share within 20 weeks | Local authorities |
|---|---|
| 0–9% | 11 |
| 10–19% | 9 |
| 20–29% | 22 |
| 30–39% | 15 |
| 40–49% | 9 |
| 50–59% | 16 |
| 60–69% | 11 |
| 70–79% | 14 |
| 80–89% | 17 |
| 90–100% | 25 |
Every council’s figure is in the local pages — Hampshire issued 52.0% of new plans on time.
What could change
Proposals to consider. The bodies named below would need to agree to deliver them; responsibility is not a recorded commitment. Follow the links for costs and evidence.
Give children special-needs support on time
Judge support for children with special educational needs and disabilities by whether it arrives on time and helps children and families.
Who could deliver it: education departments, councils, schools and health commissioners in England.
Main trade-off and delivery needs
Rights and rationing risks; specialists unavailable at required scale.
Define specialist and mainstream support; protect entitlements; plan staff pipeline and commissioning; track delivered provision.
Cost: The extra cost is not yet known.
Costs, drawbacks and evidence →Make council and SEND funding risks explicit before promises expand
Check councils’ legal duties, demand, staffing and money before making further service promises.
Who could deliver it: Treasury, MHCLG, education departments and councils in England..
Main trade-off and delivery needs
Bailout incentives, losses elsewhere and accounting fixes mistaken for capacity.
Publish a costed continuity plan and alternatives for deficits without hiding service reductions. Do not treat asset sales or borrowing permission as new recurring grant.
Cost: The extra cost is not yet known.
Costs, drawbacks and evidence →Close the early-language support gap
Give children missing out on early language help the tested Reception programme, with trained staff and time to deliver it.
Who could deliver it: schools, education bodies and councils as appropriate.
Main trade-off and delivery needs
The main risks still need to be assessed.
Audit reach, eligibility and delivery fidelity; cost trained staff, release time, screening, materials and follow-up. Protect SEND provision. Measure language outcomes and access. Proposed owners: schools, education bodies and councils as appropriate.
Cost: The extra cost is not yet known.
Costs, drawbacks and evidence →
See all options and what is still unknown →
Some problems have no assessed solution yet: see coverage and gaps.
Help and rights
These links can help with an individual situation. They do not resolve the wider pressures described above.
- Find SEND support and advice
GOV.UK explains school support, education, health and care plans, and who to contact. Follow the guidance for your child’s circumstances.
Domain SWOT
Recorded
Show the findings
Strengths · 2 findings
718,838 children and young people hold an education, health and care plan, a legal entitlement to the provision it sets out.
England · January 2026
Evaluated early-language support exists: three months’ extra language progress for reception children with the weakest language.
England · 2018–19 trial
Weaknesses · 8 findings
718,838 children and young people held a plan in January 2026, 2.99 times the 240,183 in January 2015; in schools the share of pupils rose from 2.8% to 6.0%. Part of the rise reflects a wider legal category (plans run to age 25) and identification, not only need.
England · January 2015 to January 2026
Mainstream schools carry the growth but support staffing has not kept pace: pupils with a plan rose 2.3 times to 538,547, while teaching assistant full-time equivalents rose about 11% to 295,183 and teachers about 2%. The two series count different things, so this is a pressure indicator, not a ratio of staff to plans. We found no national measure of one-to-one support or of the workload of special needs coordinators.
England · 2015/16 to 2025/26
Councils held a cumulative special-needs deficit of £6.7bn at 31 March 2026, up from £2.3bn two years earlier. It is a reported balance held under a statutory override that runs to 31 March 2028.
England · 31 March 2026
Ofsted and CQC found inconsistent experiences and outcomes in 47 of 84 full area inspections and widespread or systemic failings in 21. These inspected areas are not a representative national sample. Five subsequent monitoring inspections found effective action on all priority actions; this does not mean all 21 areas have resolved their failings.
England, inspected local areas · January 2023–December 2025 inspections
School transport is an access and delivery constraint, especially for children with SEND. The NAO found rising costs and risks from reductions in discretionary services, but insufficient data to measure the effect on attendance.
England · NAO audit, October 2025 · risk
46.1% of new plans were issued within the 20-week legal limit, against 60.4% in 2019.
England · 2025 (2019 comparison)
The national statistics count plans, requests, timeliness and reviews — not whether the support in a plan is delivered.
England · Reporting year 2026
High-needs spending rose 66% in real terms to at least £12bn, while council deficits were forecast at around £8bn.
England · 2016–2025
Opportunities · 1 finding
Building mainstream support for common needs and specialist capacity together could shorten waits without weakening entitlements.
Depends on: Specialist training is funded and support delivered is measured, so success is not judged by fewer plans.
our synthesis
Threats · 1 finding
Restricting access to plans could cut recorded demand and deficits without improving children’s lives.
risk
Domain action plan
Proposed
Possible steps for government and the bodies responsible. These describe the order of work, not promised dates: starting an action and seeing results take different amounts of time.
Short term · prepare
Measure waits for assessment and the support children actually receive.
Medium term · deliver
Match specialist staff and places to identified needs.
Long term · judge results
Follow children’s access to support and their outcomes over time.
Delivery steps and owners (4)
- Prerequisite: Audit provision gaps and specialist capacity with families · DfE with councils and NHS commissioners · proposed
- Decision: Publish a costed recruitment plan and a national measure of support delivered · DfE, DHSC and HM Treasury · proposed
- Delivery: Train specialists; deliver early-language support in reception · Universities, NHS, councils, schools · proposed
- Result: Support delivered on time, with outcomes and family experience improving · DfE statistics · proposed
Sources, method and changes
Shareable visual summary
Visual summary
Six in 100 pupils in England now have a special-needs plan, more than double the share in 2016.
46.1% of new plans in 2025 covered by the published measure were issued within the 20-week legal limit (statutory exceptions excluded). 718,838 children and young people aged 0–25 had an EHC plan in England (January 2026). Plans issued, not the date support starts.
- 718,838EHC plans, January 2026
New plans issued within 20 weeks
46.1%
Text and data version
Six in 100 pupils in England now have a special-needs plan, more than double the share in 2016. 46.1% of new plans in 2025 covered by the published measure were issued within the 20-week legal limit (statutory exceptions excluded). 718,838 children and young people aged 0–25 had an EHC plan in England (January 2026). Plans issued, not the date support starts.
| Measure | Value | Period | Geography | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children and young people with an EHC plan | 718,838 | Jan 2026 | England | observed count | Department for Education, SEN2: statements and EHC plans |
| New EHC plans issued within 20 weeks (excluding exceptions) | 46.1% | 2025 | England | observed count | Department for Education, Education, health and care plans |
Available images and their source records are listed on Shareable visuals.
Sources and methods (5)
- DfE, Education, health and care plans, reporting year 2026, Data files: EHC plans (caseload); timeliness of new plans (20 weeks); requests; annual reviews (released 25 June 2026) — EHC plans, new plans, timeliness, requests, annual reviews, local authorities
- DfE, Special educational needs in England, academic year 2025/26, Pupils in all schools, by type of SEN provision — 2016 to 2026 (released 11 June 2026) — pupils in schools with an EHC plan or on SEN support
- DfE, Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England, 2019 (SEN2), Table 1 — statements and plans, January 2010–2018
- The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014, regulation 13 — the 20-week time limit and its exceptions
- National Audit Office, Support for children and young people with special educational needs (October 2024) — deficits, funding and outcomes context
Method notes
- England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different laws and definitions.
- EHC plan counts cover ages 0–25 in every setting, on census day in January. Pupils with a plan or on SEN support come from the school census, also in January, and cover school pupils only. New plans, timeliness and requests cover calendar years. The three are never added together or used as each other’s denominator.
- Funding figures are cash allocations through the high-needs formula (2019-20 to 2025-26), not spending and not adjusted for inflation.
- Tribunal figures count appeals, not children (financial years, 2009/10 to 2025/26).