Research highlights systemic pressures as government prepares urgent white paper on provision and funding reform.
Research indicates that a number of schools in England are actively diverting children with special needs, creating a significant imbalance where some institutions support six times as many pupils with learning or behavioral challenges as their counterparts.
Local authority leaders reported to the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) that some schools are “happy” to let other institutions manage children who require extra support outlined in education, health and care plans (EHCPs). This includes headteachers who are reportedly concerned about the negative impact that enrolling children with special needs could have on their school’s exam results.
These findings underscore the immense pressure facing the government as it readies its schools white paper, which is expected to urgently reform special needs provision and its associated funding.
A council leader noted that more inclusive schools are becoming “victims of their own success,” as they attract a disproportionately large number of children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), overwhelming their resources. Echoing this, one council Send officer stated, “We’ve got a handful of schools across the county reaching a breaking point. It is not sustainable.”
In one striking example from a single local authority, some primary schools had a student body where 50% had identified special needs, while other nearby schools had fewer than 5%. The research also noted that schools in more deprived areas were the most likely to have these high concentrations.
Matt Walker, the NFER report’s principal investigator, explained that this “uneven spread” of Send pupils in mainstream education “risks creating significant pressures on those with the highest intakes.” He noted that these schools, which are “often working tirelessly to provide inclusive education,” are consequently “facing growing financial and operational challenges.”
Walker also pointed out that “as the government prepares its delayed schools white paper, these schools are likely to be most affected by any future reforms.” He concluded, “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.”
School leaders confirmed that the issue of schools diverting families with special needs is a longstanding one. However, they noted that the recent and rapid increase in Send pupil numbers has made this problem “far more acute.”
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), stated that the findings “highlight what we have known for years, which is that some schools actively avoid admissions from Send students.” He elaborated that schools that are inclusive and develop “good practice in supporting Send students” often find themselves “under attack from Ofsted and battling other accountability measures.”
Kebede insisted that the “Government Send reform and the schools white paper need to address admissions inequalities” and must “legislate for a mainstream inclusion model which works for all young people, including those with Send.”
The NFER’s data revealed that last year, the top 25% of primary schools had, on average, over six times more pupils with EHCPs than the bottom 25%. An EHCP is a legally binding plan detailing the support for pupils with significant special needs. A similar disparity was found in secondary schools, where the top quartile had approximately five times more pupils with EHCPs than the lowest.
This issue is intensifying as more Send pupils enter mainstream education; Department for Education analysis shows 56% of pupils with EHCPs are in mainstream schools, up from 49% a decade ago. Compounding the problem, the NFER found that schools with the highest ratios of Send pupils were “more likely to draw from more disadvantaged communities, and have lower average test scores.”
According to local authority officials, the primary reasons for this “clustering” of Send pupils are “parental choice, and school ethos and reputation.” “Informal networks, such as parent WhatsApp groups and peer advice,” are reportedly instrumental in directing families toward schools known for their inclusive resources.
However, officials also noted that “accountability pressures” like Ofsted inspections and exam result league tables actively discourage some schools from admitting Send pupils. As a result, these schools are “happy for others to build reputations for taking on [pupils with] EHCPs.”
In response, a Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson stated: “This government inherited a Send system on its knees, with thousands of families struggling to get the right support. We’re determined to put that right by improving mainstream inclusion so every child can thrive at their local school.”
The spokesperson added, “We’ve held over 100 listening sessions with families and will continue engaging parents as we deliver reform through the schools white paper.”
