Children and young people with a SEND are more likely to be bullied in school than their peers, according to new government research.
The findings come from the Growing Up in the 2020s survey, carried out with University College London and the Anna Freud Centre, and follow the experiences of 8,000 pupils through secondary school.
Young people with SEND were also twice as likely to report other types of frequent bullying, such as name-calling or exclusion – 20% compared with 10%.
The study, which followed 12- and 13-year-olds, found that less than a third of students overall who reported being bullied said school staff were aware of it.
More than a third of the students surveyed said they did not feel they belonged at school, with the proportion higher among girls, students with SEND, those with lower prior attainment and white students.
Paul Waugh, the education minister, said the study gave the government its “clearest picture yet of what life is like for young teenagers and what additional support is needed for those who are struggling”.
The government wants schools to help pupils “build friendships, boost confidence, reduce harmful screen use and support good mental health”, he added.
School absence
Among students who had been absent in the previous two months, 13% of those with SEND said it was due to a lack of support for their needs at school, compared with just 2% of their peers.
Students with SEND were also twice as likely to report anxiety or another mental health problem as a reason for absence, 28% compared with 14%, and more likely to cite bullying, 11% against 4%.
Nearly all of the students surveyed, 96%, reported at least some disruption in the classroom, and 17% said other learners misbehaved in every lesson.
Almost a quarter of students with SEND reported disruption in every lesson compared with 15% of other learners.
Mental health
One in four students met the study’s criteria for a probable mental health disorder, with a further 14% having possible difficulties.
This rose to 54% among students with SEND, compared with 17% among those without SEND.
Overall, girls were also more likely than boys to be classified as having a probable disorder, 28% compared with 23%.
Professor Jess Deighton, study director and director of research at the Anna Freud Centre, said the findings showed mental health problems in the age group were “very high” and underlined the importance of prevention and early support.
