Children with special educational needs and disabilities

The numbers of children with SEND in Calderdale

The number of children and young people identified as having a learning disability in Calderdale has seen a drop from 2019/20 as shown in graph below. In Calderdale the percentage of pupils with a learning disability is significantly higher than Yorkshire & Humber and England.

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This table shows the number of pupils with a learning disability in Calderdale:

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This table shows the percentage of pupils with a learning disability:

Children and young people with EHC plans

The number of pupils with a EHC Plan has been steadily rising year-on-year following the introduction of the Children and Families Act (2014).

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This table shows the number of pupils with an EHC Plan in Calderdale:

The percentage of pupils with EHCP in the school population has followed a similar pattern which is in line with the Yorkshire and Humber region and England. The percentage has been steadily rising since 2015/16. Calderdale has been significantly higher than Yorkshire & Humber since 2021/22, but similar to England.

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This table shows the percentage of pupils with an EHC Plan:

The placement of children and young people with EHC plans 2023/24

Assessments for EHC plans

This table shows the number of new EHC plans in Calderdale:

In Calderdale the number of new statements or EHC plans has increased steadily since the introduction of the CFA (2014).

The CFA (2014) required that all new EHC plans are completed within 20 weeks. In Calderdale this target met on significantly more occasions than regionally or nationally.

This table shows the Percentage of new EHC plans issued within 20 weeks

This table shows mediation cases which were followed by appeals to the SEN tribunal in 2021:

Children and young people on SEN support

SEN support includes those children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities who do not meet the threshold required for an EHC plan. The support for their additional needs will be school based and funded from the schools ‘national’ SEN budget of up to £6,000 per pupil. 

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This table shows the number of pupils with SEN support in Calderdale: 

The percentage of pupils with SEN support in Calderdale has increased within the last year; however it is significantly lower than Yorkshire & Humber and England.

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This table shows the percentage of pupils with SEN Support:

2, 3 and 4 year-olds in early education January 2023

This table shows the percentage of 2 year-old children benefitting from funded early education and 3 and 4 year-olds benefitting from universal funded early education with SEN January 2024:

This table shows the percentage of 3 and 4 year-old children benefitting from extended funded early education January 2024:

Overall percentages of pupils with SEN in primary, secondary and special schools January 2023/24

In Calderdale the percentage of pupils with SEN in state funded primary schools is similar to both Yorkshire & Humber; however significantly higher than England. 

In Calderdale the percentage of pupils with SEN in state funded secondary schools is significantly lower than Yorkshire & Humber and England.

In Calderdale the percentage of pupils with SEN in state funded special schools all have an EHCP, whereas in England and Yorkshire & Humber some special schools have pupils on SEN Support.

In Calderdale the percentage of pupils with SEN in all state funded schools is lower to those in Yorkshire & Humber and England.

The ‘primary needs’ of children and young people with SEND 2023/24

The ‘primary need’ is the main reported need for the child or young person, but it is possible that there is more than one identified special educational need or disability.

Primary schools

In Calderdale state funded primary schools there is variation from regional and national percentages in relation to ‘Moderate learning difficulties’(MLD) 'Speech, Language and Communications needs'.

This table shows the percentage of pupils with SEN by primary type of need in state funded primary schools: 

Secondary schools

In Calderdale state funded secondary schools there is variation from regional and national percentages in relation to ‘Moderate learning difficulties’ (MLD), ‘Social, emotional and mental health’ (SEMH).

This table shows the percentage of pupils with SEN by primary type of need in state funded secondary schools:

Special Schools

In Calderdale state funded special schools there is variation from regional and national percentages in relation to ‘Moderate learning difficulties’ (MLD), ‘Severe learning difficulty’ (SLD), ‘Social, emotional and mental health’ (SEMH), ‘Speech, language and communication’ (SLC), ‘Visual impairment’ (VI), and Multi-sensory impairment (MSI). 

While the samples are smaller and are more likely to show variance the variation in MLD is the reverse of that shown in main schools. Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is in line with national and regional figures.

This table shows the percentage of pupils with SEN by primary type of need in state funded special schools:

SEN units and resourced provision

There are currently 2 primary schools with 6 pupils in KS1 resourced provision and 6 pupils in KS2 resourced provision.  There is 1 secondary school with 10 pupils in KS4 ASD resourced provision.  There are no SEN Units in Calderdale.

16 and 17 year olds in education and training

This table shows the percentage of 16 and 17 year olds recorded in education and training in 2023:

Outcomes for Pupils with Special Needs Support

The cohort of pupils with EHC plans is small and the needs of the pupils are complex, therefore the cohort has not been compared to national.

The cohort at special needs support is larger and it is appropriate to use national comparisons to inform our analysis of data. Provision is effective resulting in pupils achieving well by the end of Key Stage 4, with special needs support achieving above the same group nationally. A multi-agency approach through the authority’s ‘Mind the Gap’ campaign is underway to ensure that the gaps close sooner and outcomes improve by the end of early years and the primary phase.

This table shows Early Years - % Good Level of Development+:

This table shows the Y1 - Percentage Phonics Screening Check:

This table shows the End of Key Stage 2 - Percentage Combined RWM Expected+:

This table shows the End of Key Stage 4 - Percentage Level 4+ in Reading and Maths:

This table shows the End of Key Stage 4 - Attainment 8

The main sources for the above are:

Statements of SEN and EHC plans for England:

• Special educational needs in England, Academic year 2023/24 (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)

Education provision for children under 5 years of age:

• Education provision children under 5 (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)

Participation in education and training:

• Participation in education, training and NEET age 16 to 17 by local authority, Academic year 2022/23 (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)
• The Calderdale data is for pupils attending Calderdale schools and therefore can include pupils from out of the area and can exclude Calderdale funded pupils being educated out of area.

Outcomes for pupils with special needs support

• Source: NCER NOVA Reports
• KS2 and KS4 data are both from the National Pupil Database

Services provided for children with SEND are set out in Calderdale’s Local Offer. (A requirement of the Children and Families Act 2014.) It is updated often, setting out all of the services available to young people, parents and carers of children with SEND. This includes mainstream, targeted and specialist services:

• Key working/person centred principles.
• Universal services, such as Children’s Centres, youth clubs, Sports zone, nurseries, libraries, play schemes and pools.
• Targeted services such as Sports zone, swimming, ‘Jam packed summer’, Gateway and early years support.
• Portage and early years support teachers (PEYST) plus other SEN support Early years quality improvement support officers.
• Early years providers are encouraged to provide their own local offer details.
• Family services offer information and guidance on support services: finance, health, behaviour, parenting, relationships and family leisure activities.
• Schools (mainstream/special) and details of SEN provision offered.
• Support for parents and young people, helping to find the right advice and support quickly.
• Care services to supporting individuals through to adulthood.
• Specialist health care available.
• Transition through education.
• Preparing for adulthood; support to help young people find work and live as independently as possible.
• Transition to adults services.
• Unique Ways is a parent carer led organisation supporting disabled children and their families to lead ordinary lives, ensuring the voices of parents and carers are heard.
• The SEND Information, advice and support service (SENDIASS) provides legally based, impartial, confidential and accessible information, advice and support for parents of children and young people with SEN or disabilities about education, health and social care.
• Information about short breaks offered by local voluntary and charitable organisations and Calderdale Council.
• Specialist services such as Direct payments for care services, Disabled children’s team, SEN transport, Specialist health professional support, day time care of disabled, overnight support and Linden Brook respite care. 

The Children and Family Act (2014) requires the participation of children, their parents and young people in making decisions about their own plans and how the duties laid out in the act are developed and implemented.

The views of children and young people with SEND and their families are gathered as part of a child or young person, centred process used for the preparation of individual plans. Help advice and support is available through Unique Ways, Calderdale and Kirklees SENDIASS and the Independent Advice and Support Programme to make sure that their views and aspirations are reflected in completed plans.

Calderdale commissions Unique Ways to carry out an annual survey of parent carers of children and young people with SEND to gather information about their experience of the support and services available. The findings from the survey are used by a wide range of teams, services and workgroups to review and improve services and support.

Some of the key findings of the 2018 parent carer survey can be found in the ‘Parent carers of children with complex needs’ section of the Calderdale JSNA.

Unique ways and Family Voice Calderdale, the local parent carer forum, are key partners and representatives from both organisations participate in the strategic and operational workstreams that develop and implement the requirements of the CFA (2014). Family Voice Calderdale and the local authority are developing a ‘Working together’ or ‘Co-production’ policy to ensure that policy and practice is developed with parent and carer representative so that any changes feel that they have been ‘done with’ and not ’done to’ parents and cares.

Calderdale works with the ‘SEND reference group’ a group of young people with SEND, to review and advise on aspects of the duties in the CFA (2104). The group work as part of Calderdale’s ‘Voice and Influence’ team on discrete areas of research into the lived experience of young people with SEND producing and presenting their reports to key partners and forums.

Calderdale is planning to launch a series of evaluative questionnaires on the experience of SEN support in schools and the EHC assessment and planning process that will gather the views of children and young people with SEND and their families.

Our local challenges are:

• Addressing the needs of the growing numbers of children with complex health conditions who are able to live longer due to improvements in medical treatment. 
• Significantly reducing the waiting time for a diagnosis for Autistic Spectrum Disorder
• Support for parent carers, children and young people pre and post a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
• Strengthening support following sensory needs assessments.
• Improving the consistency and quality of SEN support in schools.
• Continue to increase the numbers of young people with SEND gaining employment.
• Closing the gap sooner in educational outcomes for children with SEN support in Calderdale compared to the same group nationally.

The Calderdale Disabled Children’s Census show a year on year increase in the number of disabled children over the last three years. This trend is due in part to improved recording and it is therefore difficult to predict if this is likely to continue or not.

The increase in the percentage of pupils with EHC plans in Calderdale, which has risen over the last three years from 2.5% to 2.7%, combined with a projected rise in the school population is likely to result in an increase in the numbers or pupils with EHC plans in Calderdale.

The reduction of the percentage of pupils in Calderdale with SEN support from 12.8% to 11.9% combined with a projected rise in the school population is likely to result in a relatively static number of pupils with SEN support.

Following national, regional and local trends the numbers of children and young people with a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder is likely to increase.

Following national, regional and local trends the numbers of children and young people with social emotional and mental health needs is likely to increase.

Unrecognised, unidentified or undiagnosed special educational need or disabilities are likely to result in a significant negative effect on progress and attainment. Therefore early identification and intervention is essential reduce the effect of any special educational need or disability. The local area has effective measures in place for identifying special educational needs and disabilities as quickly as possible.

The most effective plans and interventions include some or all of the following:

• Involving children and young people with SEND and their parent carers in the preparation of EHC plans or support plans in school.
• Using processes that are child-centred and, where appropriate, multi-disciplinary.
• A good ‘section A’ in an EHC plan, the part that identified the child or young persons aspirations, leads to the most effective plans.
• Plans based on clear, achievable but aspirational outcomes combined with effective tailored provision and robust and timely reviews are likely to be effective.

The assessment and planning process should therefore:

• Focus on the child or young person as an individual.
• Enable children or young people and their parents to express views, wishes and feelings.
• Enable children or young people and parents to be part of decision making processes.
• Be easy for children, young people and parents carers to understand and should use clear ordinary language and images rather than professional jargon.
• Highlight the child or young person’s strengths and capabilities.
• enable the child or young person and those that know them best to say what they have done, are interested in and what outcomes they seek in future.
• Tailor support for individual needs.
• Organise assessments to minimise demands on families.
• Bring together relevant professionals to discuss and agree an overall approach.

• Blackburn, C.M., Spencer, N.J. and Read, J.M. (2010); Prevalence of childhood disability and the characteristics and circumstances of disabled children in the UK: secondary analysis of the Family Resources Survey, BMC Pediatrics,10(21).
• Department for Education (2015): SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years.
• Local Government Association: Local Area SEND report 2018.
• Department for Education (2018): Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2018.
• Department for Education: Special educational needs: analysis and summary of data sources.
• Office for National Statistics (2015): Mid year sub national population estimates 2016.
• PHE (2015) Child Health Benchmarking Tool: Pupils with Learning Disability: % of school pupils with Learning Disability.
• Calderdale Local Offer.