SEND – The local need
SEND – The local need
Please note: the full report can be downloaded via the link at the bottom of the SEND Executive Summary section.
As summarised in Table 3 below, in recent years the total numbers of local SEND pupils have increased:
- The number of pupils with EHC plan has more than doubled over the nine-year period from 2015/16 to 2024/25, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR*[1]) of 11.9%.
- The number of pupils receiving SEN support increased by 17% over this nine-year period, with a CAGR of 1.8%.
Table 3: Number of local children and young people by SEND provision type in all schools
| Type of support | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EHC plans (number of pupils) | 1,142 | 1,243 | 1,306 | 1,431 | 1,538 | 1,722 | 2,034 | 2,339 | 2,775 | 3,128 |
| SEN support (number of pupils) | 4,854 | 4,966 | 4,981 | 5,128 | 5,201 | 5,251 | 5,447 | 5,777 | 5,708 | 5,679 |
| Total special education needs | 5,996 | 6,209 | 6,287 | 6,559 | 6,739 | 6,973 | 7,481 | 8,116 | 8,483 | 8,807 |
| Total pupils | 43,505 | 44,403 | 44,983 | 45,652 | 46,192 | 46,377 | 47,380 | 48,483 | 49,159 | 49,740 |
In Table 4, when compared to the East of England and England averages, the trend and overall percentage of school pupils in Central Bedfordshire with an EHC plan in place is similar and continues to increase. The proportion of pupils receiving SEN support has also increased overall but at a lower rate when compared to the regional and national data. The overall percentages locally also remain lower than the regional and England averages and the latest data suggest a small but steady decline in the last two years. For Central Bedfordshire, the latest data (2024/25) reports that SEN remain more prevalent in male than female pupils and reflect the national proportions too with:
- EHC Plans – 70.7% male pupils (71.4% England) & 29.3% female pupils (28.6% England)
- SEN support – 61.8% male pupils (61.2% England) & 38.2% female pupils (38.8% England)
Table 4: Local, regional and England percentage of children and young people by SEND provision type in all schools
| 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | |
| % of pupils with EHC plan | ||||||||||
| Central Bedfordshire | 2.6 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 6.3 |
| East of England | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 5.1 |
| England | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 5.3 |
| % of pupils with SEN support | ||||||||||
| Central Bedfordshire | 11.2 | 11.2 | 11.1 | 11.2 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 11.5 | 11.9 | 11.6 | 11.4 |
| East of England | 10.8 | 11 | 11 | 11.2 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.9 | 12.3 | 12.9 | 13.5 |
| England | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.7 | 11.9 | 12.1 | 12.2 | 12.6 | 13 | 13.6 | 14.2 |
In Table 5 the numbers of SEND children in state-funded nurseries and independent schools were too small for wider comparison, though there are 57 more pupils in local independent schools on EHC Plans this year compared to last year. The latest data reports that the proportions on EHC Plans in local state-funded primary and secondary schools continue to be slightly higher than the regional and national averages. However, the proportions of pupils requiring SEN support continue to be lower than the regional and national averages for state-funded primary and secondary school pupils. For state-funded alternative provision (AP), the numbers continue to be small but the proportions for those on EHC Plans are similar than the regional average and higher than the national average. For those on SEN support the proportion is far higher than the regional and national averages and alternative provision is explored in more detail below.
Table 5: SEN provision by schooling for England, East of England and Central Bedfordshire for 2024/25
| Schooling | % on EHC Plan (number of CBC pupils) | % on SEN support – without an EHC Plan (number of CBC pupils) | ||||
| Eng | EoE | CBC | Eng | EoE | CBC | |
| State-funded nurseries | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1 | 16.7 | 13 | 13.3 |
| 2 pupils | 27 pupils | |||||
| State-funded primary | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 14.8 | 14.2 | 11.4 |
| 1059 pupils | 2778 pupils | |||||
| State-funded secondary | 3.1 | 3.3 | 4.6 | 13.4 | 12.6 | 11.8 |
| 1095 pupils | 2826 pupils | |||||
| State-funded AP school | 26.3 | 31.3 | 28 | 57.1 | 43 | 68 |
| 14 pupils | 34 pupils | |||||
| Independent school | 6.5 | 5 | 18.5 | 17.6 | 17.4 | 4.3 |
| 60 pupils | 14 pupils | |||||
Primary Need
The primary need refers to the main reason that a child requires additional help to learn and develop to meet their potential. There are currently 13 primary needs identified and recorded by education settings. Some children’s needs will be covered by one area, for example a blind child with no other conditions, whereas others might cover multiple areas such as an autistic child with sensory issues and learning disabilities. It’s also important to understand that while some children will always have SEN, others have shorter term needs that once met will mean that standard education provision will be sufficient for the child to learn and thrive. The 13 primary needs fall under the following broad areas.
Communication and Interaction
Children and young people with speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty in communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication. The profile for every child with SLCN is different and their needs may change over time. They may have difficulty with one, some or all areas of the different aspects of speech, language or social communication at different times of their lives.
Speech, Language and Communications Needs – Pupils with SLCN cover the whole ability range. They may have difficulty in understanding information conveyed through spoken language and they find it hard to understand and/or use words in context in their native language. This is distinct from children whose first language is not English and children with language difficulties related to English as a second language should not be included in this category.
Autistic Spectrum Condition – Autistic Spectrum Condition can affect children very differently depending on the extent of their autism. The condition is identified as an SEN when it leads to significant difficulties in the areas of social communication, social interaction, and restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour/interests.
Cognition and Learning
Learning difficulties is an umbrella term that can be specific, affecting one aspect of learning, or affect multiple aspects and it varies in severity. It includes where children and young people learn at a slower pace than others their age, have difficulty in understanding parts of the curriculum, have difficulties with organisation and memory skills, or have a specific difficulty affecting one particular part of their learning performance such as in literacy or numeracy.
Specific Learning Difficulties – include conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children can be identified as having SEN within this category without a formal diagnosis.
Moderate Learning Difficulties – This includes pupils with generalised learning difficulties across all curriculum areas and includes difficulties in adaptive functioning such as communication, social skills, independence, and self-care (IQ between 50 and 70).
Severe Learning Difficulties – Children with these needs have significant learning difficulties that mean they achieve less than 50% of age group targets across all areas of education, including adaptive behaviour (IQ less than 50).
Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties – In addition to severe learning difficulties, pupils will have other significant difficulties, including physical difficulties, sensory impairment(s) and/or severe medical difficulties. Pupils with PMLD are likely to need sensory stimulation and a curriculum broken down into very small steps.
Social, emotional and mental health
Children can have social, emotional, and mental health difficulties at any stage in their development and these can be linked to a specific event in their lives, such as bereavement, trauma, illness, family stresses and being bullied. The presenting problems, therefore, can vary in intensity, frequency, and duration. Children and young people with social, emotional, and mental health difficulties often have difficulty in managing their relationships with other people, are withdrawn, or if they behave in ways that may hinder their and other children’s learning, or that have an impact on their health and wellbeing. Social, emotional, and mental health becomes an SEN when the impact of emotional responses has a significant and enduring impact on learning.
They may range from changes in emotional resilience (such as withdrawal or anxiety about attending school/setting) to expressions of underlying stress (such as tearfulness, refusal to engage with learning, self-harming) or more overtly challenging behaviour (such as aggression, defiance, antisocial acts). Some emotional and mental health needs can be linked to longer term issues such as learning problems, difficulties with social skills, prolonged family disruption or medical conditions such as Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Condition (ADHC), which may become identified as the primary need.
Sensory and/or physical disabilities
Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from accessing and making full use of the educational facilities generally provided. This category includes:
- Visual impairments, from partial sight through to blindness. Pupils may require adaptations to their environment and/or different learning materials
- Hearing impairments, from mild hearing loss to profound deafness
- Multi-sensory impairment (MSI) – visual and hearing impairments combined
- Physical disabilities that require on-going support
References
[1] The Compound Annual Growth Rate is the average increase per year over a number of years and gives a more useful measure of change that reflects how each year’s change impacts on those that follow.