More staff training need following rise in SEND pupils- Norfolk mum

Nearly 1.3 million pupils in England require specialist support- says Government data- which is up by nearly 4% on last year

Author: Tom ClabonPublished 28th Aug 2025

A mum of a local boy with special educational needs says more staff need to be trained so every child is fully supported.

There's more than 1.7 million SEN pupils in England- according to official figures- which is up by over 90 thousand on 2024.

Nearly 1.3 million pupils in England require specialist support- says Government data- which is up by nearly 4% on last year.

"You are going to see a lot more exclusions of children"

Lucie Oakes lives in Norwich with her son, Logan:

"I know of one parent who is struggling in mainstream school. She is trying to get an Education, Health and Care Plan for her child, who is diagnosed with autism, but they are refusing to accept that and saying instead that they have ADHD.

"You are going to see a lot more exclusions of children who cannot have their needs met within education, if the situation doesn't improve.

"On the flipside of that you're going to have parents who are facing court-action for attendance, because their needs aren't being met

What's the Government said on this?

The Department for Education says it will recruit 6,500 specialist teachers by the end of this Parliament.

While the Treasury says it set aside £740 million, this March, to create 10 thousand new places for SEND pupils.

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