Stockton-on-Tees Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision Sufficiency Statement 2026 to 2029

Our local area joint strategic needs assessment, self-evaluation and data projections highlight the following key areas of need, demand and sufficiency gaps for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and those who require alternative provision.

SEND is both a contributor to and cause of socioeconomic disadvantage for families. Approximately double the proportion of children with SEND in Stockton-on-Tees are eligible for free school meals compared to their peers. Geographical mapping highlights that children living in more deprived areas are substantially more likely to have SEND than those living in more affluent areas.  

Need is being identified at an earlier age and is becoming more complex. The largest growth of requests for Education Health and Care (EHC) assessments in recent years has been within the 0 to 5 year age range, accounting for 29% of assessment requests during 2023 (32% of new EHC plans overall), rising to 31% during 2024 (27% of new EHC plans overall). The increase of need in the early years is building pressure within the local system to have the capacity to respond to need, particularly during transition points.

The number of children with SEND is projected to rise over the coming years, while school roll and the overall 0-25-year population are projected to reduce. While the majority of children and young people with SEND are educated in mainstream schools, we are placing more pupils in independent schools compared to our statistical neighbours and the national average. In addition, the majority of local specialist schools within Stockton-on-Tees are operating at capacity which contributes to children and young people needing to be educated out of area to meet their need. The number of children placed in independent or non‑maintained special schools increased from 111 in 2022 to 170 in 2025, representing growth of over 50% in three years. Independent placements now account for a significant proportion of high needs expenditure. During 2026 alone, over 280 independent specialist consultations were issued for secondary age pupils.

Table 1 shows the projected increases in need 2025 to 2029 (based on primary need within EHCPs).

Children and young people transition in and out of categories of need during their time in education. For example, a reduction in Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) and increase in Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) as a primary need as pupils progress from primary to secondary school. It is likely that there are unidentified needs for our children and young people influenced by factors including waiting times for neurodevelopmental assessments and young people with SEMH needs with unidentified SLCN.

Pupils with EHC and SEND support plans have consistently higher absence rates than those with no identified SEND. While the majority of absence is due to illness, absence can also be a symptom of wider issues. There is a growing body of national evidence and feedback from the local system highlighting an increase in Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA) for children with SEND.

There is a limited range of secondary and further education options within the Borough, which is reflected in the number of young people who take up post 16 provision out of area.