Schools are far more likely than parents to have requests for education health and care plans (EHCPs) approved by councils, new research has revealed.
Freedom of information data collected from councils by Special Needs Jungle (SNJ) shows that 20 per cent of school and college applications for the statutory SEND support plans were rejected, compared with 51 per cent of parental requests.
Researchers claim the findings counter what they say is a growing narrative, including from councils and government, that “sharp-elbowed” parents are driving up demand.
While government data shows that 22 per cent of needs assessment requests were rejected in 2022, this is the first breakdown on who those requests were from.
