Overview
- Too many children with SEND who are not in school miss essential education, health and care support due to missed early identification and gaps in provision.
- Schools report insufficient staffing, specialist expertise, suitable space, transport solutions and funding, which contributes to avoidable exits from full-time education.
- Oversight varies widely across local areas, with health partners often absent from information-sharing, and no official data shows how many SEND pupils are out of school.
- The report recommends DfE-led guidance on EOTAS, consistent in-year admissions, a lead professional for coordination, and DfE–NHS England support for training and resources.
- Evidence comes from thematic visits to six local area partnerships and surveys of more than 700 participants, with ministers pointing to a planned register of children not in school, a forthcoming SEND white paper and existing funding for specialist places.