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Special Educational Needs

Asked by Helen MaguireLiberal DemocratDepartment for EducationTabled Answered 28 October 2025UIN 83652

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children of primary school age in September 2025 are waiting for an EHCP assessment.

Answered by Georgia Gould

The department does not hold information on the number of children waiting for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment.

The department does collect and publish information from local authorities on the number of requests for an EHC needs assessment received, and the number of EHC needs assessments carried out during the calendar year. The latest published figures relate to the 2024 calendar year and were published 26 June 2025. Information for the 2025 calendar year will be published in summer 2026.

The number of requests for an EHC needs assessment which were outstanding at the end of the 2024 calendar year by age, is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/667cfd50-479e-4427-f991-08de0724494a.

The number of EHC needs assessments carried out where the outcome was outstanding at the end of the 2024 calendar year by age, is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/0713cf5f-cbc9-4957-f992-08de0724494a.

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