Record Surge in Children Needing SEND Support

Support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has hit a new record, government figures show. Between January 2025 and January 2026 EHCPs rose 12.5% - the biggest year-on-year jump since the plans started - taking numbers to over 700,000.

West Berkshire Council says its own cases have surged 58% in five years, with 1,534 children holding plans in January 2024, up from 972 in 2019. The council admits rising requests have left it "under performing" because team numbers have not grown.

"In 2024, we lowered the threshold for agreeing to assess for an EHCP. This was due to being taken to Tribunal by parents and losing all cases. "The consequence of this has been to drive up the number of EHCP assessments," says the council.

It adds: "The speed of EHCP completions has been further hindered by the delay in receiving assessments from educational psychologists." There is a national shortage of educational psychologists and WBC has struggled to recruit, the council says.

The council stresses schools generally put support in place before an EHCP is finalised and wants to "work with schools, health and social care to reduce the demand for EHCPs by meeting need earlier." It also warned: "It is difficult to predict, with the level of demand, when we might get to 60 per cent [the council's own target] of EHCPs completed on time."

A Department for Education spokesperson said the figures "show the scale of the challenge we inherited", and that the government was investing £4bn to bring specialist support into mainstream schools. "We're building a system where every school can support every child to thrive, while ensuring those with the greatest needs get the specialist help they need," it said.

The number of pupils with EHCPs in mainstream schools rose by more than 15% year-on-year, with nearly half of those with plans now in mainstream settings. The rise comes as the government pushes SEND reforms to make mainstream schools more inclusive.

Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter