Over 6,000 youngsters are now waiting over a year to obtain education, health and care plans (EHCPs), as the number issued within the 20-week legal deadline falls to a new low.
It comes after it was revealed earlier this month that one in 20 children now have an EHCP – the highest figure on record.
The figures again underline the urgency of reforms to the SEND system, which is collapsing amid soaring numbers of pupils seeking plans and leading to even more unacceptable waits for support.
National Association of Headteachers general secretary Paul Whiteman said: “Families can face long waits for plans, then often a postcode lottery in support depending on how much funding their local authority offers schools.
“The increasing numbers of pupils with additional needs, coupled with shortages of funding and specialist staff, mean that despite their best-efforts schools sometimes struggle to provide the level of support outlined.”
Legislation states the time between an EHC needs assessment request and a plan being completed should be no longer than 20 weeks.
But in 2024, the number of plans issued in that timeframe tumbled to its lowest level (46 per cent).
EHCPs ‘seen as golden ticket’
This is around 14 percentage points down from the 2019 peak of just over 60 per cent. These figures exclude cases where exceptions applied.
The data also shows 7 per cent – equating to 6,230 plans – took more than 52 weeks to be completed in 2024. Forty-six per cent were issued between 20 and 52 weeks.
Separate DfE figures released two weeks ago showed 482,640 pupils now have EHCPs – the highest on record and double the number in 2016.
The proportion of schoolchildren with a plan has now topped five per cent for the first time – rising from 4.8 per cent to 5.3 per cent in the last year.
Government will set out its SEND reforms in a white paper this autumn. As part of this, it is considering rationing EHCPs and wider reform.
Whiteman added the plans are “often seen as a ‘golden ticket’ to support for children with special educational needs”.
“It has been suggested that the government’s promised reforms of this broken system will see more children with SEND being educated in mainstream settings.
“Schools and families will need to be confident that support for their children is far more easily accessible without the need for a formal plan, before the incentive to seek an EHCP is reduced.”
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said she “inherited a SEND system on its knees, and at the heart of these figures are families fighting for support that should just be readily available… we’ll set out our full plans to improve experiences for every child and family in the autumn.”
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