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High-SEND Schools: Understanding the Uneven Distribution of Pupils with SEND across England's Mainstream Schools. Interim Report

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Title: High-SEND Schools: Understanding the Uneven Distribution of Pupils with SEND across England's Mainstream Schools. Interim Report
Language: English
Authors: Sarah Tang, Jenna Julius, Matt Walker, Rachel Classick, National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) (United Kingdom), Nuffield Foundation (United Kingdom)
Source: National Foundation for Educational Research. 2025.
Availability: National Foundation for Educational Research. The Mere, Upton Park, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 2DQ, UK. Tel: +44-1753-574123; Fax: +44-1753-637280; e-mail: enquiries@nfer.ac.uk; Web site: http://www.nfer.ac.uk
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 38
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Special Needs Students, Students with Disabilities, Regular and Special Education Relationship, Disproportionate Representation, Institutional Characteristics, Population Distribution, School Demography, Administrator Attitudes, Population Trends
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom (England)
ISBN: 978-1-916567-41-2
Abstract: While it is widely recognised that the system for supporting pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is 'in crisis' (Education Committee, 2025), one critical, but often overlooked, dimension of this crisis is the uneven distribution of pupils with SEND across mainstream schools. This pattern of unevenness raises pressing questions about equity, inclusion, and the capacity of schools to meet diverse needs. This report draws on analysis of administrative school data from the Department for Education's (DfE) National Pupil Database to present early findings into how pupils with SEND are distributed across mainstream schools in England. It also explores local authority (LA) perspectives--one lens within a complex and multi-layered system--to examine the factors they believe are shaping this unevenness and its consequences. These insights are necessarily partial, shaped by LAs' statutory responsibilities and system-level vantage points. The findings presented are intended to outline and frame the key issues emerging from early analysis, providing a system-level picture of how pupils with SEND are distributed across mainstream schools.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED679743
Database: ERIC
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sarah+Tang%22">Sarah Tang</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jenna+Julius%22">Jenna Julius</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Matt+Walker%22">Matt Walker</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rachel+Classick%22">Rachel Classick</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22National+Foundation+for+Educational+Research+%28NFER%29+%28United+Kingdom%29%22">National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) (United Kingdom)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nuffield+Foundation+%28United+Kingdom%29%22">Nuffield Foundation (United Kingdom)</searchLink>
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  Data: National Foundation for Educational Research. The Mere, Upton Park, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 2DQ, UK. Tel: +44-1753-574123; Fax: +44-1753-637280; e-mail: enquiries@nfer.ac.uk; Web site: http://www.nfer.ac.uk
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  Data: While it is widely recognised that the system for supporting pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is 'in crisis' (Education Committee, 2025), one critical, but often overlooked, dimension of this crisis is the uneven distribution of pupils with SEND across mainstream schools. This pattern of unevenness raises pressing questions about equity, inclusion, and the capacity of schools to meet diverse needs. This report draws on analysis of administrative school data from the Department for Education's (DfE) National Pupil Database to present early findings into how pupils with SEND are distributed across mainstream schools in England. It also explores local authority (LA) perspectives--one lens within a complex and multi-layered system--to examine the factors they believe are shaping this unevenness and its consequences. These insights are necessarily partial, shaped by LAs' statutory responsibilities and system-level vantage points. The findings presented are intended to outline and frame the key issues emerging from early analysis, providing a system-level picture of how pupils with SEND are distributed across mainstream schools.
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      – SubjectFull: Special Needs Students
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      – SubjectFull: Students with Disabilities
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      – SubjectFull: Regular and Special Education Relationship
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      – SubjectFull: Population Distribution
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      – SubjectFull: School Demography
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      – SubjectFull: Population Trends
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      – SubjectFull: United Kingdom (England)
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