More than one in five pupils in England have special educational needs, figures show

Data shows sharp rise in number of children getting extra support and highlights pressure on schools, families and councils

More than one in five pupils in England now have special educational needs, as the latest official figures show a sharp increase in the numbers of children receiving extra support in school.

The annual data from the Department for Education (DfE) confirms predictions of an increase in families seeking education, health and care plans (EHCPs) – the individual agreements detailing extra support – before the government’s efforts to overhaul funding and provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send).

The number of children with EHCPs rose by 11.6% this year compared with 2025, adding 58,000 for a record total of 538,500. That means 6% of all schoolchildren now have active EHCPs.

There was also a 3% increase in the number with special needs and support without an EHCP, to nearly 1.4 million children.

Combining the two groups reveals that 21% of the school population is regarded as having special needs in some form.

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said: “Behind these figures are children and families still desperately struggling to get help from schools which simply don’t have the funding, staff, space or specialist support to cope on their own with rising demand.”

A DfE spokesperson said: “These figures lay bare the scale of the challenge we inherited – a Send system under immense strain, record numbers of EHCPs and nearly half of those plans going to disadvantaged children.