Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to have special needs, but less likely to get specialist support than their peers, according to a new report.
The study, from the Sutton Trust, found that young people from poorer homes are also less likely to get an EHCP, and a special school place, and their families generally more dissatisfied with the support their children are receiving.
The study of 4,008 parents of school aged children, who were polled online by Public First, said SEND children who receive free school meals are doubly disadvantaged, and tend to achieve lower outcomes at 16.
SEND and free school meals
While about a quarter of all children are eligible for free schools meals, they account for 44% of those with EHCPs, and 39% of those who receive support but don’t have an EHCP.
This means pupils from low-income families are disproportionately more likely to have special needs that require extra support.
Children eligible for free school meals are also over-represented in every category of SEND, most notably in ‘noderate learning difficulties’, ‘severe learning difficulties’ and ‘social, emotional and mental health’.
These pupils are doubly disadvantaged at school. Children with SEND who receive free school meals have lower outcomes at Key Stage 4 than their better off peers with SEND.
GCSE results for 2023-24 show that only 7.5% of FSM pupils with an EHCP received a 4+ (a standard pass) in English and Maths, compared to 17% of those with an EHCP from better-off families.
Among all children with SEND, those from more affluent homes are more likely to secure an EHCP, partly because families are able to spend money on the process.
Nearly seven in ten middle-class parents spent money on their EHCP application, compared to just 28% of working-class parents. Just over one in ten middle-class parents spent over £5,000 on their application.
The financial and emotional toll
Better-off families were also more likely to secure special school places for their SEND children. Just over four in ten reported getting a special school place, compared to just 25% of low-income parents.
Among those with children already in a special school, 12% had spent over £5,000 on their EHCP compared to 1% of those in mainstream schools.
More affluent families were more likely to use tribunals. More than a fifth – 22% – of better-off parents successfully used the tribunal system after an initial EHCP rejection, compared to just 15% of lower-income parents.
Independent special school places secured through EHCPs were twice as likely to result from a tribunal or appeal, compared to state special school places.
The report also revealed disparities in parents’ satisfaction with the support for their children in school. Middle class parents were more likely than their working class contemporaries to be happy with the support their children with SEND were receiving in terms of academic performance, behaviour, interpersonal relationships and pastoral care.
Regardless of income status, the report highlights the heavy financial impact that having a child with SEND can have on families, with 16% of parents leaving employment to support their child and the same percentage changing their job. More than a quarter – 27% – reduced their working hours, while 14% of families reported going into debt to pay for the resources their child needed.
Right now, disadvantaged kids with SEND are being failed by a system beset with inconsistency and mind-boggling bureaucracy
Charlotte O’Regan, Senior Schools Manager at the Sutton Trust, said these differences highlight a broken system, with a clear economic divide among those who can secure the support their children need.
“Parents who pay to access better support are a symptom of this broken system, not its cause,” she said.
“With horrendous waiting times across England and many requests for support being declined, it’s only natural that parents with sufficient means would go to a private service to help their children. The system shouldn’t force parents to pay to get the support their children need.”
The Sutton Trust called on the government to simplify the process of securing support for children with SEND to give everyone a fair chance of accessing the help they need.
The Government should also recognise and act to mitigate the relationship between child poverty and SEND, the report said, and to take measures to cut the diagnosis backlog and waiting times for families, so they do not feel forced to pay for more timely support.
Nick Harrison, CEO of the Sutton Trust, said: “It’s unacceptable that a child’s background can dictate whether they get the help they need to thrive and be happy at school. This is a major barrier to their opportunities and can profoundly impact their long-term prospects.
“Right now, disadvantaged kids with SEND are being failed by a system beset with inconsistency and mind-boggling bureaucracy. Getting the right support for a child shouldn’t be about a parent’s ability to pay. We need urgent action to make the system work better for everyone.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Support should be based on children’s needs, not where in the country they happen to live, the ability of their parents to make the case, or whether or not they have an EHCP – which given shortages of funding and specialist staff is far from a silver bullet to ensure pupils get all the help they need.
“That’s why we want the government’s proposed reforms to the SEND system to invest in schools, social care and health services to ensure all families get earlier help to identify emerging issues and put in place support before there is even a need for a plan.”
