Main text: SFR14/2015
Source: data.gov.uk (2017-07-24)

Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England 2015. Statistics and analysis on statements of special educational needs (SEN) and education, health and care (EHC) plans in England. This statistical first release from the Department of Education provides statistics and analysis on data from the SEN2 survey earlier than in previous years. It provides information on reforms introduced in September 2014. In July 2015 the DfE published a second statistical publication, Special educational needs in England: January 2015 , which contains data from the school census.

A National Statistics publication  
National Statistics are produced to high professional 
standards set out in the National Statistics Code of 
Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews 
to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are 
produced free from any political interference. 
 
 
Statistical First Release 
Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England 2015 
 
 
Reference SFR 14/2015 
Date 21 May 2015 
Coverage England 
Theme Children, Education and Skills 
Issued by Department for Education, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT 
Press office xx-xxxx-xxxx 
Public enquiries 0370 000 2288 
Statistician Bree Waine 
Phone xx-xxxx-xxxx 
Email xxx@xxx.xx 
Internet Statistics: special educational needs (SEN) 
 
 
 
4,205  The number of statutory Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans in place on 
15 January 2015. 
235,980  The number of statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN) in place on 15 
January 2015. 
1,360  The number of new EHC plans issued between 1 September 2014 and 31 
December 2014. 
25,780  The number of new statements of SEN issued between 1 January and 31 
December 2014. 
2,765  The number of EHC plans transferred from statements of SEN or Learning 
Difficulty Assessments (LDAs). 
 
 
 

SFR 14/2015: Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England 2015, issued 21 May 2015 
 
 
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1. Background and context 
This statistical first release (SFR) publishes data from the annual SEN2 data return, which is 
mandatory for local authorities to complete. The return is the only source of data to report on 
all statements of SEN and EHC plans maintained by individual local authorities.  
About Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans 
Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans for children and young people aged up to 25 were 
introduced on 1 September 2014 as part of the Special Educational Needs and Disability 
(SEND) provisions in the Children and Families Act 2014.  
From 1 September 2014, any children or young people who are newly referred to a local 
authority for assessment are considered under the new EHC plan assessment process. The 
legal test of when a child or young person requires an EHC plan remains the same as that for a 
statement under the Education Act 1996. See the SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 for more 
detailed information on the reforms. 
Transferring children and young people with statements and young people receiving support 
as a result of a Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDAs) to EHC plans will be phased. Timescales 
are set out in Transition to the new 0 to 25 special educational needs and disability system: 
Departmental advice for local authorities and their partners (March 2015). Every local 
authority has published a Local Transition Plan setting out the timings for transfers to the new 
system. 
In previous years, SEN2 data has been published as part of the Special Educational Needs in 
England SFR which also includes data from the January school census. The January 2015 
school census data is due to be published in a separate SFR in July 2015. 
The publication of SEN2 data was brought forward in 2015 because it is available sooner than 
school census data. Further details on the 2015 SEN2 collection can be found in the SEN2 
return guide and the Methodology Document published alongside this SFR. 
2. Quality of the data 
The 2015 SEN2 return includes data from the 2014 calendar year as well as at the January 2015 
census date, meaning the data covers both the previous and new arrangements. The new 
features of the SEND system - EHC plans, mediation and personal budgets - came into effect 
from September 2014.  It is important to realise that some new processes may take longer 
because they are unfamiliar. 
The timeline for the transition of statements and LDAs to EHC plans will differ by local 
authority. This should be taken into consideration when comparing across local authorities or 
year on year changes. 

SFR 14/2015: Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England 2015, issued 21 May 2015 
 
 
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Pathfinder local authorities  
In order to test the provisions set out in the then Children and Families Bill, the Department 
for Education funded 20 pathfinders covering 31 local authority areas and associated clinical 
commissioning groups. Pathfinder local authorities issued non-statutory EHC plans before 1 
September 2014. The 2015 SEN2 return only collects information on statutory EHC plans, 
meaning non-statutory plans that have not yet been transferred are not counted in the figures. 
The Quality and Uses document published alongside this SFR contains more information on 
the quality of the data. 
3. Statements of SEN and EHC plans in place on 15 January 2015 
(Table 1  and Table 3 in the accompanying spreadsheet) 
4,205 EHC plans and 
235,980 statements in 
place at 15 January 
2015 
There were 4,205 statutory EHC plans and 235,980 statements 
maintained by local authorities at 15 January 2015. EHC plans make 
up 1.7% of the combined total number of statements and EHC plans. 
This combined total is broadly consistent with the increasing trend 
from previous years. However, EHC plans cover 0 to 25-year-olds, 
although numbers are low for 20 to 25-year-olds. 
 
Figure A: The total number of statements and EHC plans is 
broadly consistent with the trend from previous years 
EHC plans and statements in place at January.  
 
 
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Statements
EHC plans

SFR 14/2015: Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England 2015, issued 21 May 2015 
 
 
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The distribution of EHC 
plans across age bands 
is skewed towards the 
younger age groups  
The age group distribution of the combined total of statements and 
EHC plans is broadly similar to previous years. However, there is a 
notable difference between EHC plans and statements in place on 15 
January 2015 with 16.1% of EHC plans in the under 5 years of age 
band compared to 4.5% for statements, and 44.8% EHC plans in the 5 
to 10-year-old age group compared to 37.8% for statements. This 
could be partly explained by the relatively small number of EHC 
plans compared to statements. 
 
Figure B: The distribution of EHC plans across age bands is 
skewed towards the younger age groups 
Percentage of EHC plans and statements in place on 15 January 
2015 by age groups.  
% EHC plans 
(4,205) 
% Statements 
(235,980) 
Under 5 years of age 
16.1% 
4.5% 
Aged 5-10 
44.8% 
37.8% 
Aged 11-15 
31.6% 
47.0% 
Aged 16-19 
7.3% 
10.7% 
Aged 20-25 
0.2% 
n/a 
Total 
100% 
100% 
 
4. New Statements of SEN and EHC plans issued during 2014 (Table 2 
and Table 4 in the accompanying spreadsheet) 
1,360 new EHC plans 
and 25,780 new 
statements issued in 
2014 – lower than 
previous years possibly 
due to the use of non-
statutory EHC plans in 
pathfinder local 
authorities 
There were 1,360 new EHC plans and 25,780 new statements issued 
during 2014, although new EHC plans will only have been issued 
from 1 September 2014. New EHC plans make up 5.0% of the 
combined total number of new statements and new EHC plans 
issued during 2014. 
The combined total of 27,140 is down on previous years. This could 
be explained by pathfinder local authorities issuing non-statutory 
EHC plans throughout the year which are not counted in the 2015 
data return. 
 
 
 

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Figure C: The combined total of new statements and new 
EHC plans is lower than in previous years  
New EHC plans and  new statements issued during the 
calendar year.  
 
 
5. Statements of SEN and EHC plans issued within the time limits 
(Tables 8 and 9 in the accompanying spreadsheet) 
The proportion of new 
statements issued in 
2014 within the time 
limit was 89% 
Of the new statements issued in 2014 (excluding cases where 
exceptions apply), 89.0% were issued within the 26 week time limit, 
compared to 89.7% in 2013. 
Including exception cases; 79.1% of new statements were issued 
within the 26 week time limit, compared to 81.8% in 2013. 
Early indications show 
64.3% of new EHC 
plans issued  from 
September to 
December 2014 were 
within the 20 week 
time limit 
Of the new EHC plans issued in 2014, 64.3% were within the 20 week 
time limit when excluding exception cases. 
Including exception cases; 61.5% were issued within the 20 week time 
limit. 
However, these figures cover EHC plans issued in the first four 
months of the transitional period where local authorities are 
beginning to implement the new reforms with a shorter time limit. 
 
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Statements
EHC plans

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6. Progress transferring to the new system (Table 10 in the accompanying 
spreadsheet) 
From 1 September 2014 to 15 January 2015 there were 2,735 EHC plans issued following 
transfers from statements and 30 EHC plans issued following transfers from LDAs. 
Timescales for the transfer of statements and LDAs to EHC plans are set out in Transition to 
the new 0 to 25 special educational needs and disability system: Departmental advice for local 
authorities and their partners (March 2015). Local authorities have then published their own 
timescales in the light of this guidance. 
 
7. EHC plan personal budgets and mediations 
There were 1,360 new EHC plans issued in 2014 and 2,765 EHC plans transferred from 
statements or LDAs between 1 September 2014 and 15 January 2015. Of the EHC plans issued 
in 2014, 165 had taken up personal budgets.  
Of the 75 cases that went onto mediation in 2014, around three quarters did not proceed to 
tribunal. 
 
 

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8. List of tables 
The following tables are available in excel format on the publication website:  
Special Educational Needs Statistics. 
Numbers of statements and Education, Health and 
Care plans 
1 
Placement of children and young people for 
whom local authorities maintain a statement 
of special educational needs (SEN), or 
Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, 
England, January: 2010 - 2015 
2 
Assessment and placement of children and 
young people with a new statement of 
special 
educational 
needs 
(SEN), 
or  
Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan and 
children with statements transferred or 
discontinued, England, Calendar Year: 2009-
2014 
3 
Number of children and young people with a 
statement of special educational needs 
(SEN), or EHC plan maintained by each local 
authority, by region and local authority area 
in England, January: 2010 - 2015 
4 
Number of children and young people with 
a new statement of special educational 
needs (SEN), or EHC plan by each local 
authority, by region and local authority area 
in England, calendar years: 2009 - 2014 
Placement of children and young people 
5 
Placement of children and young people for 
whom local authorities maintain a statement 
of special educational needs (SEN), or EHC 
plan by each local authority, by region and 
local authority area in England, January: 
2015 
6 
Assessment and placement of children and 
young people with a new statement of 
special educational needs (SEN), or EHC plan 
by each local authority, by Region and local 
authority area in England, calendar year: 
2014 
7 
Maintained mainstream schools: children 
and young people for whom statements of 
special educational needs (SEN), or EHC 
plans were newly made by each local 
authority, by region and local authority area 
in England, calendar years: 2009-2014 
 Statements 
and EHC 
plans issued within 
timescales 
8 
New statements of special educational 
needs (SEN) issued within 26 weeks by each 
local authority, by region and local authority 
area in England, calendar years: 2013 - 2014  
9 
New EHC plans issued within 20 weeks by 
each local authority, by region and local 
authority area in England, calendar year: 
2014 
Progress transferring cases to the new system 
10 Progress transferring children and young 
people 
with 
statements 
of 
special 
educational needs (SEN) and learning 
difficulty assessments (LDAs) to the new 
system, by region and local authority area in 
England 
 
 

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