One in three parents have sought a special needs assessment for their child, according to a survey that reveals a surge in demand for special needs support in schools across the UK.
The figures were released amid mounting apprehension in England over national plans to reform special needs provision amid rising costs and a severe shortage of dedicated special school places.
The survey of more than 5,800 parents, commissioned by the Parentkind charity and carried out by YouGov, found that 33% of parents with school-age children said they had asked for an assessment for possible special educational needs (SEN) from their child’s school.
In England alone the proportion rose to 34%. Previous Department for Education (DfE) data found that about one in five children were classed as SEN last year, including 482,000 in England with educational, health and care plans (EHCPs) that detail specific support for individual children.
Jason Elsom, Parentkind’s chief executive, said: “Despite the best efforts of our schools, hundreds of thousands of families are hurting because our SEN system is broken.
“Families should not have to wait months or years to receive the support they so desperately need. Our measure as a society should be the way we treat our most vulnerable, and this should weigh heavily on our shoulders.”
Parentkind is the UK’s largest parent-school charity, working with more than 24,000 parent teacher associations and school parent councils.
Half of parents who sought an assessment said it was undertaken by the school and half said that they were still waiting or had paid for a private assessment. A quarter of those waiting said they had been doing so for more than a year.
The survey also laid bare the personal cost that many parents face coping with a child with special needs: 15% said they had given up their job to care for their child, while 20% said they had taken time off from paid work.
A third of parents of children with SEN said they faced “financial strain due to additional costs” and increased tensions at home, while 40% said they had experienced their own mental health problems.
There have been sharp rises in diagnoses of autism, ADHD and speech and language needs among children in recent years, with speech disorders and social and emotional issues increasing rapidly since the Covid pandemic.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has described England’s increases in special educational needs and disabilities (Send) as “staggering”, reflecting “improved recognition of needs that were always there” through greater awareness and diagnosis.
Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary for England, has said the DfE will publish a white paper outlining its plans for reform later this year. It is expected to expand special needs provision within mainstream schools and encourage the creation of specialist units within them.
But many parents and campaigners fear that the reforms will curtail the use of EHCPs, and a rally took place outside parliament earlier this week.
The DfE said it is “committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools”, but the department faces an uphill struggle with the Treasury for funding for more special school places.
The DfE said: “This government inherited a Send system left on its knees – which is why we are listening closely to parents as we work to improve experiences and outcomes for all children with Send, wherever they are in the country. Our starting point will always be improving support for children.”
