Number of EHC plans up by 12.5% in one year - the highest year-on-year increase since their introduction in 2014

According to the DfE, this is the highest year-on-year increase since EHC plans were introduced in 2014.

The data, published this week (25 June), revealed there were 162,700 requests for an EHC needs assessment received during 2025 - 5.3% higher than the number received during 2024.

During 2025, 46.1% of new EHC plans were issued within the 20-week statutory timeframe – representing a decrease from 2024 when the figure was 46.4%.

Meanwhile, the data revealed that children of compulsory school age (aged 5 to 15) account for the majority of EHC plans, with around 7 in 10 of children and young people with an EHC plan being in this age group. 

Just over a quarter (26.0%) of children and young people with an EHC plan were first issued with their plan when they were 4 or 5 years old, meaning their plan started around the start of compulsory school age.

Looking at schools, the data revealed that 326,800 children and young people with an EHC plan attended a mainstream school in 2026, 16.9% higher than in 2025.

The DfE said: “This represents 45.5% of all children and young people with an EHC plan. The proportion of those with an EHC plan who attend a mainstream school has increased each year since 2019.”

Of those attending a mainstream school, 8.7% (28,500) were placed at a SEN unit or resourced provision within the mainstream school. This is similar to the percentage in 2025. 

Meanwhile, the number of children with EHC plans attending special schools increased to 211,400 between 2025 and 2026, a rise of 8.5%.

The DfE noted that this increase is lower than the year-on-year increase in numbers seen in both mainstream schools (16.9%) and alternative provision (13.0%). 

Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children, Young People and Families Committee, said: “Councils want to ensure that every child with SEND gets the support they need to receive the fulfilling education they deserve.

“These figures however are a reminder of the continued rise in need which the current system is struggling to meet.

“The Government’s SEND reforms can improve the outcomes of children and young people with SEND but there is a real risk these could be undermined by the existing broken system.

“It is vital government works closely with councils, not just to deliver the reforms but to tackle the present challenges in the system.

“This should include writing off councils’ high needs deficits in full, to ensure financial sustainability for councils.”

The full data release can be found here.

The Department for Education has been approached for comment.

Lottie Winson