Record rise in EHCPs piles pressure on SEND system, school leaders’ union warns

Education health and care plans (EHCPs) are supporting more children and young people aged 0-25 than ever before. New figures shared by the Department for Education show the biggest year-on-year increase since plans were introduced in 2014. 

The figures show:

• The number of children and young people with an EHCP stood at 718,838 as at January 2026. This is 12.5 per cent higher than in January 2025.
• The number of new plans started during 2025 stood at 110,708, 13.3 per cent higher than in 2024.
• The percentage of children and young people with EHCPs attending mainstream schools rose by 16.9 per cent to 326,800 – 45.5 per cent of all children and young people with a plan (in 2019 this was 39.2%)

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union, NAHT, said:

“The big increases we have seen in the numbers of pupils with special educational needs (SEND), combined with shortages of funding and access to specialists, has put incredible pressure on the system, particularly when it comes to meeting the needs outlined in these plans.

“Families can face long waits for plans, then a postcode lottery in support depending on how much funding their local authority offers schools and amid shortages of experts like speech and language therapists and educational psychologists.

“This underlines the importance of the government properly resourcing its SEND reform plans, which envisage support for most pupils being outlined in new school-level individual support plans, more children attending local mainstream schools, and local banks of specialists being created.

“School leaders fear the new investment proposed, while an improvement, will still fall short of what is needed given the additional demands on schools.

“There will also remain a need for better support for pupils with the greatest needs who will continue to have EHCPs and may still need to attend special schools – as well as for sustained investment in wider health and social care services which also have a crucial role to play.”