Schools often took a pupil-centred approach when identifying needs and planning provision, but staff did not always know the pupils well enough to do this. The results are therefore not generalisable, in particular, the extent of the presence or absence of particular experiences found in our sample. Consequently, this study was small scale and the children are unlikely to be representative of the population of pupils with SEND in mainstream schools. We asked the schools to select the children who participated, mainly so that those who took part felt confident and comfortable doing so. These schools are in 2 different local authorities.

We carried out this qualitative case study before the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic with 21 pupils in 7 mainstream schools. This study was developed to explore how the needs of children and young people are met in mainstream schools and how approaches vary between providers.

Īlthough recent reports by Ofsted and others have highlighted some strengths in the special educational needs and/or disabilities ( SEND) system, there are also significant weaknesses. Research suggests that there are varying interpretations and practices across professionals, schools and local authorities in both SEN identification and provision.

Many of these pupils are in mainstream primary and secondary schools. Identified numbers have increased for the fourth consecutive year, from 14.4% of all pupils in 2016 to 15.5% in 2020. These range from the most severe to comparatively minor. Around 1.4 million pupils in English schools have an identified special educational need ( SEN).

Teachers report assistant comment bank