Kids from poorer homes ‘experience a double disadvantage’ and are being failed by a system ‘beset with inconsistency and mind-boggling bureaucracy’, research shows
Disadvantaged children are more likely to have special educational needs but are less likely to get specialist support, research shows today.
The Sutton Trust said kids from poorer homes “experience a double disadvantage” and are being failed by a system “beset with inconsistency and mind-boggling bureaucracy”.
The education charity’s polling found that while 26% of children qualify for free school meals (FSM), they account for 44% of those with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) and 39% of those receiving support without an EHCP.
And poorer kids who needed support achieved worse outcomes at age 16. In 2023/2024, only 7.5% of FSM pupils with an EHCP received a 4+ (a standard pass) in English and Maths, compared to 17% of those with an EHCP from better-off families.
Among all children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), those from more affluent homes are more likely to secure an EHCP, a legal guarantee of tailored support, in part through families spending more money on the process.
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Some 68% of middle-class parents spent money on their EHCP application, compared to just 28% of working-class parents. Of middle-class parents, 11% spent over £5,000 on their application.
Better off families were also more likely to secure special school places for their children with SEND, at 41% compared to just 25% of low-income parents.
The Sutton Trust said one factor contributing to the inequalities is that richer families are more likely to use tribunals – and with more success. Some 22% of them were successful at an appeal after an initial EHCP rejection, compared to 15% of lower-income parents.
The report also revealed the heavy financial impact that having a child with SEND can have on families, with some 16% of parents having left employment to support their child.
Another 16% reported changing their job and 27% reduced their working hours, while 14% of families reported going into debt to pay for the resources their child needed.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is drawing up plans to overhaul the crisis-hit SEND system in a white paper this autumn. The Sutton Trust is calling for the system to be simplified so that all parents stand a fairer chance of accessing support.
Nick Harrison, chief executive of the Sutton Trust, said: “We all know the SEND system is in crisis, and these findings show startling inequalities in who is able to access support.
“It’s unacceptable that a child’s background can dictate whether they get the help they need to thrive and be happy at school. Right now, disadvantaged kids with SEND are being failed by a system beset with inconsistency and mind-boggling bureaucracy.”
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Education should be a great leveller, which enables all children to thrive. Instead, chronic underfunding, particularly of SEND provision, has exacerbated existing inequalities. It is especially unfair that children with SEND from low-income families face this double whammy of disadvantage.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Support should be based on children’s needs, not where in the country they happen to live, the ability of their parents to make the case, or whether or not they have an EHCP – which given shortages of funding and specialist staff is far from a silver bullet to ensure pupils get all the help they need.”
Margaret Mulholland, SEND and inclusion specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders union, said “we effectively have a two-tier system”, adding: “This report provides yet more evidence of a special educational needs system which isn’t working well for children and young people, and where those from the poorest homes are the worst affected.”
Minister for School Standards Georgia Gould said: “This report lays bare how badly children with SEND have been let down and denied the opportunities and support they deserve. Our mission is to break down barriers to opportunity so every child, not just the privileged few, can achieve and thrive.“I’ve met parents who’ve had to fight every step of the way and we will not stand by whilst they continue to face a system that has failed them for far too long. That’s why we’re building a system with improved training for teachers, £740 million to help create more specialist school places and earlier intervention for speech and language needs – reassuring parents that support will be available for, as routine at the earliest stage.”
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