Faith primary schools are admitting fewer children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) than local authority community primaries, according to new LSE research.
In research funded by the British Academy, Dr Tammy Campbell analysed Reception year admissions to mainstream state schools from 2010-2020 in England using the National Pupil Database census. She concluded that many faith primary schools ‘serve as hubs of relative advantage, seeming disproportionately to serve children from more affluent families and children less likely to have SEND.’
In 2020, Catholic schools admitted to Reception, on average, 24 per cent fewer children with SEND recorded in pre-school than local authority community schools.
Church of England schools that administer their own admissions admitted, on average, 15 per cent fewer children with SEND recorded in pre-school than local authority community schools.
