A radical overhaul of the way mainstream schools support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is needed to stop the system from collapsing under growing demand, MPs have warned.
The number of children identified with SEND has soared from 1.3 million in 2019 to 1.7 million this year.
In 2024/25, more than 1.2 million pupils were receiving SEND support, with nearly half a million holding an education health care plan (EHCP).
Helen Hayes, Education Committee chair, said the findings show that only with a cultural shift across the sector, backed by investment in training and staff, will schools be genuinely inclusive.
Ms Hayes told Sky News she would like to see “a fully inclusive education system that means defining what inclusive means and properly resourcing the delivery of that”.
Asked if the report was a recommendation to replace all specialist schools with mainstream SEND provision, she said: “No, not at all, quite the opposite.
“Our report calls for more investment in specialist schools in the state sector.
“The current approach to funding is not sustainable, it’s driving local authorities to the edge of bankruptcy.”
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Autism is now the most common need cited in EHCPs, accounting for over a third of cases, but MPs also heard of sharp increases in speech, language, and communication needs, as well as social, emotional and mental health needs, particularly since the pandemic.
Ms Hayes said ministers “shouldn’t be making any changes to EHCPs as they currently work”.
“They are an important statutory part of the system; there will always be children who need them,” she added.
‘It’s incredibly hard to watch’
Lauren’s six-year-old son was diagnosed with autism in January, and she is still waiting for his EHCP and further reassessments.
She said she is “flabbergasted by the level of failure we’ve faced, and I know we’re not the only ones”.
“It’s incredibly hard to watch a child who’s already vulnerable be pushed even further into disadvantage by the very systems that were supposed to protect and support him,” she said.
The cross-party committee stresses that the long-term solution lies in embedding inclusivity across all schools, from early years through to post-16, with needs identified earlier and support delivered by staff trained in SEND.
Such a shift, the report argues, would ease demand for complex, expensive EHCPs, help balance stretched budgets, and ensure children are supported before issues escalate.
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Rachel Filmer, co-founder of Save Our Children’s Rights, said her organisation welcomed “any measures to make mainstream schools genuinely more inclusive, but this cannot be inclusion in name only”.
“It is vital that children retain the right to statutory plans, to individualised support, and to specialist school placements if this is in the child’s best interests,” she added.
While the report highlights examples of strong practice in England and abroad, it also acknowledges many families are still facing long waits for assessments.
The report does not draw a conclusion on the causes of rising need, but expert witnesses pointed to a mix of factors, from greater awareness and better diagnosis to wider social and health trends.
