By Tilly Walder
On the Island, where the number of children overall is falling, the number needing specialist educational support is rising sharply.
Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), which provide additional support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), have increased significantly in recent years.
In the 2018/2019 academic year there were 1,056 EHCPs issued on the Isle of Wight. By the 2024/2025 academic year that figure had risen to 1,782 – an increase of nearly 69 per cent in just six years.
The rise comes despite a decline in the Island’s birth rate since 2013. The crude birth rate, which measures the number of live births per 1,000 population, fell from 7.6 in 2018 to 6.5 in 2024. The figures underline a clear trend – fewer births overall, but rising demand for SEND support.
SEND refers to children who need additional help to learn because of physical, developmental, emotional or learning difficulties. Many receive support through EHCPs, legal documents that detail the education, health and care provision a child must receive.
Across England, more than 18 per cent of pupils are identified as having SEND, while around 5 per cent have an EHCP guaranteeing specific support. On the Island, the figures are higher, with 22-24 per cent of pupils identified as having SEND, and approximately 6.5 per cent with an EHCP.
Local councils are legally responsible for funding that help and ensuring suitable school places are available. As numbers rise, the question is whether the Island’s education system can keep pace with growing demand.
The rise in SEND on the Island
When asked why the Island has the highest proportion of SEND pupils in the country, Ashley Whittaker, strategic director of children’s services, said: “I think this is a result of a combination of different reasons, including high levels of actual need, the way that schools record children as having a SEND need, and needs escalating due to children and families not accessing early identification and intervention as early as we would like.”
The SENCo (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) for an Island pre-school, Sophie Hayles, also addressed the issue: “It’s become clear from training that this incline may not be because more children have SEND, but because there is now a better understanding of neurodiversity. For example, ADHD was once seen as a male-dominated condition because diagnoses were based largely on behaviours shown by boys, whereas girls can present very differently.
“With research into SEND continuing to develop, particularly in early years education, we are now much more aware of the wider umbrella of neurodiversity, and the behaviours that can identify additional needs.”
This reflects a pattern seen nationally. Greater awareness among parents and teachers means children who might previously have gone without support are now more likely to be assessed and recorded within the SEND system.
Changes in the legal framework have also played a role. Since the Children and Families Act 2014 replaced Statements of Special Educational Needs with EHCPs, families have had clearer rights to request assessments and challenge decisions.
EHCPs are designed to bring together education, health, and care support in one legally binding plan, covering young people from birth to the age of 25. As a result, more families are seeking plans in the hope of securing guaranteed support for their children.
Pressure on schools
Pressure on schools is also shaping the rise in SEND support on the Island. As the number of children with complex needs increases, demand for specialist school places has begun to outstrip supply.
Special schools and specialist units have limited capacity, meaning some pupils who may previously have been placed in specialist settings are instead being supported in mainstream classrooms. In many cases, mainstream schools are absorbing this demand, often with additional support through EHCPs.
Sophie Hayles said more support is needed for children with SEND at pre-school level: “The local authority’s inclusion fund is limited, has to be applied for each term, and is not guaranteed, leaving us uncertain how we can support children with complex needs.
“We are fortunate to have brilliant outside professionals we can signpost children to, but these services are stretched and waiting times too long. In pre-schools, ratios are already too high, and even the highest level of local authority funding does not cover the wages of an additional staff member.”
In response, several Island schools have expanded, or are planning to expand, their SEND provision. Medina House School, a special education school, is set to increase from 138 to 168 places, with additional capacity provided through a satellite provision at the former Chillerton & Rookley Primary School site, which closed in December 2023.
Resourced provisions within mainstream schools are also being increased. Hunnyhill Primary School has expanded its specialist provision for social, emotional, and mental health needs from eight to 12 places, while Brading CE Primary School has increased its autism and complex learning provision from eight to 12 places.
At secondary level, SEND capacity is also increasing. Provision for autistic pupils at The Bay CE School has been approved to expand from 15 to 20 places. Plans will also increase capacity at Lionheart School, a pupil referral unit, and St George’s School, a special education school, with additional places created through satellite provisions linked to those schools.
A battle for support
Behind the rising numbers is a troubling picture, with families telling the IW Observer of exhausting battles for support, worsening mental health, repeated refusals, and children left struggling, because their needs were not recognised soon enough.
Responding to concerns, Ashley Whittaker said: “We are aware that some families have expressed concern in the past about the speed and quality of communications from the team within the council that deals with the EHCP statutory process. I am also pleased to say that the feedback this calendar year has been more positive, and I believe this is the product of changes we have made, and continue to make, to our related systems and processes.”
In the next issue, we will be featuring personal accounts from families affected by the SEND system crisis. Anyone wishing to share their experience can email tilly@iwobserver.co.uk.
Isle of Wight Observer