Special Educational Needs

(asked on 17th November 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the attendance record of pupils with special educational needs; and if she will make a statement.


Answered by
Claire Coutinho Portrait
Claire Coutinho
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
This question was answered on 22nd November 2022

The overall absence rate for pupils with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan was 12.1% for the 2021/22 autumn and spring terms. For those with special education need (SEN) support, the overall absence rate was 9.7% for the 2021/22 autumn and spring terms, compared to 6.8% for pupils with no identified SEN. A further breakdown of the autumn and spring term attendance statistics for 2021/22 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england-autumn-and-spring-terms.

Looking forward, the department has a comprehensive attendance strategy that has been implemented since the beginning of this academic year, to ensure that absence is minimised. The department recognises attendance improvement does not happen in isolation and we are making significant investment in the special education needs and disabilities (SEND) system.

Annual statistics on the absence of pupils with SEN are available on Explore Education Statistics, which can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england.

The table found here provides absence rates by SEN provision from 2018/19 and 2020/21: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/dbdff1dd-64aa-4742-6e80-08dac7adbea1.

Data for 2019/20 is not available due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reticulating Splines