New report explores why pupils with SEND are clustered in certain schools

New NFER research, High-SEND schools: Patterns and pressures in mainstream provision, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, looks at how and why this concentration is happening, and what it means for schools, pupils and families. This final report builds on NFER’s earlier scene-setting report, which first revealed the stark inequalities in the distribution of pupils with SEND across schools.  

The new analysis comes as the government’s recent Schools White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, set out an expectation that every local mainstream school should meet a wider range of need, with legislation now planned through the proposed Education for All Bill. However, this new research suggests that this ambition will be difficult to realise while higher numbers of pupils with SEND remain concentrated in a minority of primary and secondary schools.  

Drawing on national data, a survey of 800 Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) and school leaders, and in-depth school case studies, the research finds that while some schools are developing deep expertise in inclusion, this concentration is creating pressures that many say are difficult to sustain. It is also limiting the extent to which expertise in SEND is shared more widely across the system. The research also finds that this pattern is shaped by both “pull” and “push” factors. Pupils with SEND are often drawn towards schools with established reputations and expertise in inclusion, while capacity pressures elsewhere can limit access in other schools. Variation in school practices may further reinforce this pattern.

Key findings:

SEND is increasingly concentrated in certain schools: Pupils with SEND are not evenly distributed, and this imbalance is widening. Primary schools in the highest quartile have up to six times as many pupils with EHCPs, and more than double overall SEND rates, compared to those in the lowest quartile.

School reputation and ethos play a key role: Schools with strong, whole-school approaches to inclusion attract more pupils with SEND, while others may avoid building an inclusive reputation or discourage admissions due to capacity or accountability pressures.

System pressures reinforce uneven distribution: Shortages in specialist provision, delays in EHCP processes, and urgent placement needs mean inclusive mainstream schools are often treated as default placements, even when they are overstretched.

Concentration risks becoming a cycle: Without sufficient funding and capacity, high-SEND schools (schools with above-average proportions of pupils with SEND compared with their local area and nationally) face growing pressures, which can deter other schools from admitting pupils with SEND, further increasing concentration in the same schools.

Unsustainable pressures: High-SEND schools often have stronger inclusive practice – but also face heavier workloads, financial pressure and increased complexity of need.

Inclusion bases are not a silver bullet: While many schools say SEN units and resourced provision can strengthen expertise and support pupils within mainstream schools, the evidence suggests caution in assuming inclusion bases alone will address wider inclusion challenges. Current provision and levels of integration are uneven, with many schools facing significant staffing and resource pressures in delivering them.

Commenting on the research, Matt Walker, Principal Investigator and Senior Research Manager at NFER, said:  

“If we want a genuinely inclusive system, responsibility for SEND cannot rest with a few schools. It has to be something every school is expected – and supported – to do.  

“Without that shift, the government’s ambition for mainstream schools to better meet a wider range of needs will remain difficult to deliver.”     
 

Recommendations for schools and trusts  

• Embed SEND support across teaching, curriculum, behaviour and leadership, not as a standalone function.
• Protect SENCO time and distribute SEND expertise across staff to avoid crisis-driven approaches.    
• Use consistent, data-informed processes to identify and support pupils’ needs earlier.