The spread of SEND pupils across mainstream schools is uneven across the country and is leaving some schools with staffing and financial pressures, according to a new report.
But, at the same time, those schools are becoming better able to develop expertise and capacity in supporting SEND pupils, the study from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) found, with schools investing in training and systems to meet the challenges.
The findings come ahead of the delayed schools white paper, which is now expected to be published early in the new year, and will outline the Government’s SEND reforms.
The NFER report, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, found that more than half – 56% – of pupils with education, health and care plans (EHCPs) are now educated in mainstream schools, up from 49 per cent in 2015-16.
The evidence underscores the need to take decisive action to create a fairer, more sustainable SEND system
In 2024-25, primary schools with the highest rateof pupils with EHCPs, had, on average, six times as many as those with the lowest rate. A similar pattern can be seen in secondary schools, where those with the highest rate of pupils with EHCPs had around five times as many as those with the least.
Primary and secondary schools with the highest rate of pupils with any form of SEND have, on average, more than twice the proportion of pupils with SEND as those with the fewest.
The NFER’s research team identified two groups of schools with higher proportions of pupils with SEND.
The first group includes schools with above-average proportions of pupils with EHCPs compared with their local area and nationally, and are referred to as ‘high EHCP schools’. The second group contains schools with higher-than-expected proportions of pupils with EHCPs and/or SEN support, and is called ‘high-any-SEND schools’.
Both are more likely to draw from more disadvantaged communities, and have lower average test scores than other schools.
Consequences for mainstream settings
The study draws on an analysis of administrative school data from the Department for Education’s National Pupil Database and includes local authority perspectives.
Researchers interviewed officers at nine councils about inclusion, who admitted some schools were “at breaking point” because of the uneven distribution. In some areas, a handful of mainstream secondaries were described as “saturated with EHCPs”, while others had far fewer.
One officer said a school was “almost becoming a special school… with a huge secondary school attached to it.”
Other insights from local authorities highlighted that:
- Schools with resourced provision or SEN units may demonstrate stronger expertise and inclusive practice, but these settings can also attract additional pupils with EHCPs, increasing demand on resources
- Variations in school identification practices, parental choice and school ethos contribute to the clustering of pupils with SEND in particular schools
- Parental choice influences which schools SEND pupils attend. Some families are drawn to schools known for inclusive practices, while others avoid those perceived as less supportive
- Accountability pressures means that some schools are discouraged from admitting pupils with SEND.
Matt Walker, principal investigator and senior research manager at NFER, said: “The uneven spread of pupils with SEND across mainstream schools risks creating significant pressures on those with the highest intakes of SEND students.
“These schools are often working tirelessly to provide inclusive education but may be facing growing financial and operational challenges.
“The evidence underscores the need to take decisive action to create a fairer, more sustainable SEND system, one that supports inclusive schools rather than working against them, and ensures every child receives the right help in the right setting.”
Alice Reeves, Research Grants and Programmes Manager at the Nuffield Foundation, said: “This report makes clear that the huge increase in the number of children with SEND over recent years has impacted some schools much more than others.
“The uneven spread of pupils with SEND has multiple drivers, including inconsistent admissions and identification practices, which a second phase of this research will further illuminate.
“The Government must recognise and address these issues to achieve greater inclusion in mainstream schools.”
The NFER will gather further evidence through a large-scale survey of primary and secondary school leaders, and in-depth interviews with school staff and parents.
The full project report will provide further evidence to inform policy and practice, and will be published next summer.
