Nearly 1.2 million children in England are currently accessing SEND support without an EHCP, recent data from the DfE found – an increase of nearly five per cent compared with last year's figures.
It also found that only 51 per cent of EHCPs were issued by local authorities within the 20 week deadline this year, compared with 60 per cent in 2021.
Dame Rachel de Souza said she was “really concerned” by the rise in demand for EHCPs, adding: “We need to radically rehaul our approach to SEND, to create a system which is ambitious for every child.”
The DfE data also found that the overall number of pupils in England with special educational needs has risen to 17.3 per cent, compared with 16.6 per cent and the number of children with an EHCP has increased by nearly 10 per cent.
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