Report

The medium term impact of the pandemic on pupils with SEND

This report from UK think tank CEPEO examines the medium term impact of the pandemic on pupils with SEND.

This report examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected students in England with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), particularly those with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).

Drawing on national and local authority-level data from 2015–2022, it highlights three key findings and offers policy-focused insights, focussing on widening gaps in absence and achievement, geographical inequities (the `SEND lottery’) and the role of pre-pandemic funding. These findings underscore the urgency of sustained, targeted policy responses and funding allocations that support the most vulnerable learners and mitigate long-term disruptions to their education.

Specifically, they suggest the importance of: increasing baseline SEND funding in underfunded areas and align resources with local needs; provide enhanced tutoring, mental health support, and specialised training to address the significant rise in both absence and achievement gaps between pupils with EHCPs and their peers; and, since pupils eligible for free school meals also displayed heightened vultnerability, prioritise initiatives such as free digital tools, nutrition programmmes, and community-based academic support to reduce economic barriers.