Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)

The Children and Families Act (2014) placed a duty on Local Authorities to identify all children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in their area. The Act requires health, education and social care services to jointly commission services for this group, producing information on the ‘SEND Local Offer’.

The term ‘Special Educational Needs’ (SEN) is an education term which specifically refers to children and young people who meet the definition given by the SEND Code of Practice :-

• A child or young person aged 0-25 has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them
• A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she: has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions

'Disability' can be defined in different ways, in particular in planning, health and social care settings. The statutory definition of disability in the UK comes from the Equality Act (2010). The World Health Organisation also provides a definition of three elements of disability: impairment, activity limitation and participation restriction.

The Equality Act (2010): ‘Disability is a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities’

The World Health Organisation (2013): Disability is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions:-

• An impairment is a problem in body function or structure;
• An activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action;
• A participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations

Somerset SEND Needs Assessment 2025

To inform ongoing commissioning of services a series of SEND Needs Assessments have been compiled.

• Somerset SEND Needs Assessment 2025
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The following points provide an overview of key findings from the 2025 Needs Assessment. Underlying data and analysis is available within the full report.

• Numbers of children and young people in Somerset with identified SEND continue to increase year-on-year, mirroring a national upward trend. Somerset is broadly in line with the national average in terms of prevalence of SEND per head of population. While numbers of children receiving SEND Support have remained relatively stable, numbers of EHC plans have more than doubled in the last five years.
• Somerset continues to see a high rate of children and young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs compared to the national profile, although this variance appears to be narrowing. Rates of hospital admissions due to mental health conditions, self-harm, substance misuse and alcohol-specific conditions are consistently high.
• SEMH is the most common primary need in schools in Somerset, while nationally, Speech, Language and Communication Need (SLCN) is most common. SEMH and SLCN account for nearly half (48%) of all SEND in Somerset.
• Identification of Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) in Somerset remains relatively low. Numbers of school pupils with an ASC primary need continue to increase year-on-year, with national figures also increasing at a similar rate.
• Children living in the most deprived areas of Somerset are twice as likely to have SEND than those living in the least deprived areas. The most deprived communities see particularly high rates of SEMH and SLCN. Prevalence of ASC is broadly consistent across all communities.
• Four-in-ten children and young people with an EHC plan in Somerset attend a mainstream school. Approximately three-in-ten (28%) attend a special school. Compared to national averages, Somerset has a lower proportion attending state-funded special schools and a higher proportion in independent or non-maintained special schools (INMSS). The majority of pupils attending INMSS have a primary need of SEMH.
• Approximately 250 children with SEND receive EOTAS (Education Other Than At School or college), of which around half previously attended a special school or pupil referral unit prior to EOTAS. The majority of the EOTAS cohort are of post-compulsory school age.
• A total of 1,207 requests for an EHC needs assessment were made in Somerset during the 2024 calendar year, representing the highest annual total ever recorded. A lower proportion of requests proceed to an assessment in Somerset than nationally.
• Just over half (52%) of EHC needs assessment requests originate from schools, with 68% of such requests proceeding to an assessment. The next most common source of requests is parents/guardians (30%). Fewer than a quarter of requests from parents/guardians proceed to an assessment. Mediation and tribunal rates are high in Somerset compared to national averages.
• The proportion of EHC plans which are issued within the 20-week statutory timeframe has been declining in Somerset and is below the national statutory benchmark.
• Numbers of Section 23 notifications (informing the local authority that a child, of below compulsory school age, may have special educational needs) continue to increase.
• There were approximately 2,900 referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Somerset in the last year, slightly fewer than in the preceding year, and down from a high in 2022/23.
• Referrals to the Children and Young Person’s Neurodevelopmental Pathway have stabilised, after significant year-on-year increases following the inception of the pathway. Increasing proportions of referrals are leading to an assessment.
• Delays in EHCP processes, limited specialist placements and long waiting times for support services were common concerns raised in a recent parent carer survey. Where EHC plans were well-developed and implemented, families reported significant positive impact.
• Survey responses suggest parents find the SEND Local Offer website helpful but would like to see a more user-friendly format and clearer guidance on the availability of services.
• Latest survey results suggest more children and young people with SEND are feeling supported in maintaining good health and developing independence, but fewer feel included in their education setting or able to participate in activities they enjoy or find interesting.
• Pupils with SEND in Somerset perform, on average, consistently below national benchmarks at all key stages of education. Attendance rates are below average, while suspension and exclusion rates are consistently above national averages.
• School-leavers with SEND in Somerset are less likely to remain in education and more likely to move into employment or an apprenticeship than their national counterparts. One-in-seven pupils with SEND in Somerset progress into higher education, compared to one-in-five nationally.
• Adults in Somerset with a long-term physical or mental health condition or illness are most likely to find employment in routine or semi-routine occupations, and less likely to be employed in a professional or managerial role than their peers.
• Employment rates of people receiving long-term social care support for a learning disability are very low, in Somerset and nationally (approximately 5%).
• Just under two-thirds (64%) of children and young people in Somerset with a long-term physical or mental health condition are in ‘good’ health, according to the latest national census. The remaining 36% are in ‘fair’, ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’ health. Within the older 25 to 34 age group, the proportion in good health declines to 50%. These proportions are in line with national averages.
• Despite the population of Somerset increasing year-on-year, overall numbers of children and young people (aged 0 to 24) in the county have remained relatively stable. Numbers of school pupils are in decline, with the state-funded mainstream school roll expected to fall each year until at least the year 2029. Eight out of ten primary schools are forecast to see a decline in roll by 2029. Secondary-aged pupil numbers are forecast to decline from 2027.

Previous Somerset SEND Needs Assessments reports

• Somerset SEND Needs Assessment 2022
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• Somerset SEND Needs Assessment 2020/21
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• Somerset SEND Needs Assessment 2019/20
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• Somerset SEND Needs Assessment November 2018
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