The number of education, health and care plans (EHCPs) has risen above half a million for the first time, new Department for Education data shows.
Statistics published this morning show there were 517,026 EHCPs in January this year, up from 473,300 in January 2022 - an increase of 9 per cent . The number has increased each year since 2014.
The number of new EHCPs made in the calendar year has also continued to increase. Some 66,356 new EHCPs were made during the 2022 calendar year, up by 7 per cent from the previous year. The number of new EHCPs has increased each year since their introduction in 2014.
EHCPs are a legal document setting out a young person’s special educational needs needs and how services will meet them.
The DfE has said its current programme of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms aims to improve early intervention for children and young people with SEND and to reduce parental demand for EHCPs.
In May the DfE confirmed that it is pushing ahead with a plan to create a new system of national standards for SEND but detailed plans setting out expectations will not be available until 2025.
The number of initial requests for an EHCP increased during the calendar year, continuing the long-term trend of increases.
There were 114,500 initial requests for an EHCP during 2022, up by 23 per cent from 93,300 in 2021.
Apart from a decrease in 2020, an atypical year because of the pandemic disrupting both education and local authority services, initial requests have increased each year since EHCPs were introduced.
The proportion of new EHCPs issued within 20 weeks has decreased. In 2022, 50.7 per cent of new EHCPs were issued within 20 weeks. This was a decrease when compared with 2021.
