Over half of school-aged children in care have special educational needs

NCERCC bringing you the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory  Chart of the month

The Nuffield Family Justice Observatory Data Tracker brings together data about children and families in the family justice system from national administrative data and other studies into one easy-to-use dashboard.

Data Tracker – Nuffield Family Justice Observatory

Percentage of pupils with special educational needs in England, 2017/18 – 2023/2

Special educational needs (SEN)s encompass a range of needs and disabilities including neurodivergence (such as ADHD and Autism), cognitive, socio-emotional and mental health difficulties, physical disabilities and sensory difficulties.

Over half (57%) of children in care have special educational needs, compared to 18% of all children. This suggests that approximately 3% of all children with special educational needs are in care, around four times higher than the percentage of children in care in the general population (less than 1%).

Since 2017/18, the number of children with special educational needs has steadily increased, with a sharper rise among looked after children (4.7%) compared to all pupils (3.5%).