Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have some of the widest attainment gaps in England’s education system. Our previous research has found that around four in ten children are identified as having SEND at some point between the ages of 5 and 16.  

In this analysis, we compare pupils with no identified needs against two distinct groups. The first are pupils on ‘SEND support’, meaning they receive targeted help from within a mainstream school or college’s existing resources. The second are those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for more complex needs, who may attend either mainstream or specialist settings. 

Although SEND attainment gaps have narrowed substantially over the longer term at ages 11, 16 and in 16-19 education, gaps among children in reception year with SEND are at, or close to, historic highs, meaning these children are starting school substantially behind their peers.  

Meanwhile, the profile of SEND learners has changed markedly over the past decade. Between 2016 and 2025, there have been increasing proportions of children and young people identified with autism, speech, language and communication (SLC) needs, and social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. This has been accompanied by an even more marked reduction in the proportion with moderate learning difficulties. 

These shifts are likely to have influenced recent trends in SEND attainment gaps (discussed below), with new EPI research showing that pupils with different types of need experience widely varying outcomes. Further research is needed to better understand how changes in SEND identification, and outcomes within different types of need, are shaping overall attainment gaps.  

Additionally, our research on the post-pandemic impacts on attainment during early primary school indicated that national assessments may not fully capture the effects of a negative shock on children with SEND, since those children were unlikely to reach age expectations even before the pandemic struck. The implication of this is that we may need national assessments capable of measuring more inclusive ranges of attainment to fully understand the trends for pupils identified with SEND. 

Figure S1: Since 2016 children with SEND are more likely to be identified with autism or social, emotional and mental health needs, while they are far less likely to have moderate learning difficulties 

SEND support 

In 2025, there were 10 per cent of reception-aged pupils receiving SEND support and these children were 12.3 months behind those with no identified SEND. This follows a peak in 2024, where there was an early attainment gap of 12.6 months. Despite this improvement children on SEND support remain over a year behind their peers and have done since the pandemic.  

The size of the SEND support group grows during primary school, before falling during secondary. It reached 17 per cent of pupils by the end of primary school in 2025 and reduced to 13 per cent by the end of secondary.  

The SEND support gap also narrowed for both phases since 2024 to reach historic lows. At the end of primary school, the SEND support gap fell by 0.6 months to 16.2 months in 2025. At the end of secondary school, it fell even more sharply, by 0.7 months to 21.1 months. Both series have been on long-term downward trends since 2011. 

Figure S2: Attainment gaps for pupils on SEND support remain sizeable in 2025, though fell across phases, reaching historic lows at key stage 2 and 4  

 

Of students in the 16-19 phase, 10 per cent were identified as having had SEND support. In the 16-19 phase, gaps are measured using students’ SEND status at the end of key stage 4.  

As at key stages 2 and 4, the SEND support gap in 16-19 education has narrowed in recent years. In 2025, students receiving SEND support were 3.4 grades behind their peers with no identified SEND, the smallest gap in the time series and a reduction of more than a full grade since 2017.  

EPI is undertaking further research to better understand how students with SEND fare in the transition to post-16 education. 

Figure S3: Gaps for students in 16-19 education who received SEND support in key stage 4 are substantial, but this gap has been closing over the last 7 years 

Education Health and Care Plans 

Across all phases and pupil characteristics the attainment gap for pupils with more complex needs was the largest. By the end of reception, 4 per cent of children had an EHCP in 2025. These children were 20.1 months behind their non-SEND peers in 2025. This gap remained stable between 2024 and 2025 at its joint-highest on record, having gradually increased since the start of the series in 2013. 

The EHCP gap for pupils at the end of primary school also flat-lined between 2024 and 2025, at 27.2 months, while noting this captures a larger share (6 per cent) of the cohort than in reception year. It marks the joint-lowest gap on record since the start of series in 2011.  

 For several years now, we have raised concerns around the poor outcomes for children starting school with SEND. Recent EPI research reinforces these concerns, showing that identified SEND is a key contributor to the disadvantage attainment gap at ages five and 11. 

By the end of secondary school, 6 per cent of pupils had an EHCP in 2025 and these pupils had a gap of 38.9 months – the widest of any group in our key stage 4 analysis. However, this is the lowest on record and is over 5 months smaller than in 2011. 

Figure S4: The EHCP gap among pupils in reception year in 2025 remained at its joint-highest on record while the gap stabilised at key stage 2 and continued to fall at key stages 4 to its lowest on record 

 

However, these patterns may not fully reflect the size of, or tends in, the EHCP gap. Recent  research on the post-pandemic impacts on attainment during early primary school indicated that national assessments may not fully capture the effects of a negative shock on children with SEND, since those children were unlikely to reach age expectations even before the pandemic struck. We may therefore need national assessments capable of measuring more inclusive ranges of attainment to fully understand the trends for pupils identified with SEND, particularly among those with more complex needs. 

Of students in the 16-19 phase, 3 per cent had an EHCP at the end of key stage 4. The EHCP gap was the widest of any group in our 16-19 analysis. Students with an EHCP were almost seven grades behind their peers with no identified SEND by the end of 16-19 study, over their best three qualifications (equivalent to over two grades in each qualification). Although this gap has narrowed compared to pre-pandemic levels, it has plateaued in recent years. 

Figure S5: The 16-19 EHCP gap has decreased by 0.5 grades over students’ best three qualifications since 2017 

 

 

CAGs and TAGs refer to alternative grading approaches used during the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2019/20 and 2020/21 (respectively) when exams were cancelled and grades were based on centre and teacher assessments. 

 

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