(England) 1.7M students have special needs; 5% increase from 2024

July 11, 2025, Londoner: Spike in London children using EHC plans for SEN support

Nearly half a million UK children have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHC Plans), rising by over 11 percent from last year, according the latest 2025 government figures published last month. 

The EHC plans are legal documents which describe a child’s or young person up to 25’s special educational needs, the support they need, and the outcomes they would like to achieve, according to Council for Disabled Children. 

The report found that more than 1.7million pupils in England have special educational needs (SEN), including both those with and without EHC Plans.

This represents an increase of more than 5% from 2024. 

A teacher from a central-London, state-funded primary school said: “EHC plans are really good, because they are there to support the needs of the child.

She has seen a rise in EHC Plans in her school, with each of them tailored to the child’s individual needs, both in the classroom and at home. . . .

London sits near the average of EHC percentage uptake in the nine major regions of England, sitting behind the South East, South West, East Midlands and the East of England, though has been steadily increasing every year for the last decade. 

This type of educational aid has been a legal requirement for over a decade. 

According to the Children and Families Act 2014, local authorities must secure that the plan provides for the child or young person to be educated in a maintained nursery school, mainstream school or mainstream post-16 institution. 

As well as saying what help the child or young person needs with their education, the plan will say what they should be able to achieve if they get that help. 

The policy is not without controversy, as The Guardian reported in May the Schools minister declined to rule out replacing EHCP documents as part of plans to change SEN system. . . .

The report states that the most common type of need for those with an EHC plan is autistic spectrum disorder, and speech, language and communication needs for those with SEN support.