Special Educational Needs Statistics and Trends

Abstract

This paper outlines some of the recent changes in the pattern of provision for pupils with special educational needs (SEN), with particular emphasis on incidence, prevalence and placement. Statistics relating to some specific areas of SEN, including severe learning difficulties (SLD), are not readily available, and so information is derived from a number of sources: national surveys into the pupil population of special and mainstream schools, recent findings from the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE), and statistical information from the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE). A brief historical overview of special educational provision is also provided. Key points which emerge from the summary are the increased inclusion in mainstream schools of pupils with SEN, the concomitant downward trend in the number of pupils being placed in special schools, the apparent trend towards a more multiply‐disabled special school population, and a sharp increase in the number of pupils being excluded from mainstream education. In addition, there are indications that the most severely intellectually disabled are the least likely to be included in mainstream school provision.