29 June 2026

The Department for Education (DfE) has published the latest round of statistics for all things related to EHC plans – assessments, issue, deadlines, placements and ceasing. They can tell us a lot, about the direction SEND reform may take us in and the stories that sit behind every statistic.

Let’s take a look at the picture as of January 2026 compared to January 2025:

Numbers going up...	Numbers going down...
EHC plans  EHC needs assessment requests EHC plans ceasing Children and young people being educated otherwise – elective home education and EOTIS both up Number of children and young people with EHC plans in mainstream settings Young people in further education with EHC plans	EHC plans issued within statutory 20-week timeframe   Proportion of children and young people with an EHC plan attending special school

The number of EHC plans has continued to increase each year since their introduction in 2014, with the latest figures representing the largest year-on-year increase to date (718,838 – up 12.5% on last year). Most EHC plans are issued for school-aged children, typically at key transition points, either when they start primary school in Reception, or when they transfer from primary to secondary school.

So, what can these statistics tell us?

By looking a little closer at the numbers, we can take stock of some of the concerns and implications. Let's shine a light on a few areas. 

The statistics show that 8.7% of children being taught in mainstream schools with an EHC plan are placed at a SEN unit or resourced provision within the mainstream school. In almost all cases, access to that setting is secured via their EHC plan, giving children a legal entitlement to the provision delivered in that unit or base. Under the SEND reform proposals the DfE wishes to significantly expand the use of bases. These will be called inclusion bases, with support bases for children on Targeted Plus and specialist bases for children on Specialist. Those accessing their school’s support base would not have an EHC plan, so, unlike the current typical situation, no guarantee of access and provision and only non-statutory guidance to guide the school. They would instead have to hope that they still get the support they need, when they need it. This leads us to wonder how many more disability discrimination claims may be brought in the future should the proposals go ahead.

We need to also look at the startling rise of the number of children and young people being educated otherwise than in a school. There are now 16,000 children and young people receiving education in this way, representing a 38.8% increase since 2025. Remember, this happens when it is inappropriate for a child or young person’s special education provision to be made in a school – any school - maybe because of significant mental health issues or sensory challenges. Behind these figures are families facing considerable pressures - these children may live in families where a parent has had to reduce their working hours or even give up work entirely to support their child’s education, or where supporting their child’s complex mental health challenges is having a profound impact on their own wellbeing.

Given the scale of this increase, it is striking that the DfE’s SEND reform proposals gave little consideration to this group of children and young people. This omission was raised repeatedly throughout the consultation process. It was only after the consultation had closed that the Department confirmed it would undertake a separate consultation on this issue, although the details of those proposals have yet to be published.  

Even if a Specialist Provision Package (SPP) can be designed to provide all the support such children require to meet their needs, the proposed legal changes to their EHC plan would remove the statutory protections that currently underpin their support. Under the proposals as they stand, local authorities would no longer have a legal duty to secure the specific provision set out in the plan, and no school would have a corresponding duty to deliver the proposed 'educational offer'.

Lastly, let’s look at one more area. The number of plans has, once again, gone up, and most children within SEND are being educated in a mainstream school. Indeed, the proportion of children and young people with an EHC plan attending a special school now sits at 29%. This may surprise some people, given recent media and political commentary implying that most children with an EHC plan attend a special school, and the DfE’s continued emphasis on increasing the number of children with EHC plans attending mainstream schools. In reality, the proportion of children attending a mainstream school with an EHC plan has increased from 2019 to 2026.

The significance of this trend is clear. The growing number of EHC plans reflects an increasing number of children and young people whose needs cannot be met through SEN Support alone. More children require additional, specialist support than mainstream schools and colleges are currently able to provide. Yet the SEND reform proposals would place greater expectations on mainstream settings while simultaneously reducing the statutory protections available to children and families when things go wrong.

It is right that children and young people’s needs are met as soon as possible, that the system enables and ensures timely support, and that funding and expertise is in place. All of that can, and must, be done under the current legal framework – but it is not happening. But rather than look to ensure compliance with the law, policymakers are proposing to reduce, remove and dilute it. The question is, what happens when things do go wrong? No system is perfect, and when the SEND system fails, it is children and young people who experience the consequences.

The CFA 2014 wasn’t enacted for the convenience of local authorities, schools or government. It was, rightly, designed for the protection of all children and young people with SEND, for every child behind these statistics. 

Read more of our latest news here.