One in 20 children in England now have an education, health and care plan (EHCP) after another 11 per cent yearly rise, that will put more pressure on SEND reforms show. The number of pupils with EHCPs is now 482,640 鈥� the highest figure on record 鈥� and double the number in 2016. The proportion of schoolchildren with a plan has now topped five per cent for the first time 鈥� rising from 4.8 per cent to 5.3 per cent in the last year. EHCPs attract extra funding and detail the support a child is legally entitled to, and naming the school that must deliver it. But government is considering a shake-up of the system, including rationing plans for just children in special schools. One in five pupils have SEND Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders鈥� union NAHT, said the figures 鈥渁gain underline how the status quo is completely unsustainable鈥�. 鈥淪chools have made it clear that they do not have sufficient core funding to meet the needs of all pupils,鈥� he said. There are now more than 1.7m pupils in schools in England with SEND. This equates to almost one in five pupils (19.5 per cent) and marks a 5.6 per cent increase on 2024. More than one-quarter (27.3 per cent) of pupils with SEND now have an EHCP – up from 19.3 per cent in 2016. The number of school pupils with SEND but without an EHCP has also risen this year by 3.7 per cent, to over 1.28 million. This cohort now makes up 14.2 per cent of all pupils 鈥� up from 13.6 per cent last year. The proportion of pupils with SEND peaks at the age of nine, when 17 per cent of all pupils receive SEND support. More pupils with EHCPs in mainstream Government will set out its SEND reforms in a white paper this autumn, but it wants to educate more pupils with additional needs in mainstream schools. Today鈥檚 figures show the number of pupils with an EHCP who are education in mainstream schools has risen from 54.4 per cent in 2024, to 56.2 per cent this year 鈥� continuing a rise seen since 2018. Ministers have set aside 拢740 million to help build specialist provision in mainstream schools. In January, there were just 449 mainstream schools with SEN units, but this was an increase from 392 in 2024. Meanwhile, 1,217 schools had resourced provision, slightly up from 1,168 in 2023. SEN units are where pupils with additional needs are taught within separate classes for at least half of their time. Resourced provisions include places reserved at mainstream schools for pupils with a specific type of need, who are taught for at least half their time in mainstream classes. Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, added the growth in EHCP numbers 鈥渓eaves a multi-billion-pound funding shortfall in the high needs block鈥�. Schools 鈥渉ave, for far too long, been trying to paper over the cracks left by the shortfall in SEND funding and covering for SEND, speech and language and mental health specialists as well鈥�. Whiteman said it will be “absolutely vital” reform proposals are “supported by the necessary funding鈥specially if as expected the focus is on educating more pupils with additional needs in mainstream schools.” Kebede also said the white paper, ongoing Ofsted reforms, and curriculum and assessment review must involve 鈥渟ystemic and cultural change and investment to make mainstream schools more inclusive鈥� and 鈥渢o turn around the SEND crisis鈥�. SEND tribunals soar by a third New data today also shows there were 24,000 SEND tribunal cases lodged in 2024-25, the highest of any year and up by a more than a third compared to the previous year. Last year, nearly all cases were won by parents who had appealed decisions from councils relating to SEND provision for their child. The number of cases concluded also rose to their highest number, 19,000, and open cases were at 12,000, increases of 34 per cent and 45 per cent respectively. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: 鈥淏ehind each one of these figures is a family desperately fighting for even the most basic support for their child, leaving a staggering number of parents exhausted while young people are denied precious help. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 have to be this way, and this government will deliver the reform that families are crying out for through our Plan for Change 鈥� giving an excellent education to every child.鈥�