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We are pleased to publish our latest Headline Findings report, highlighting the experiences of pupils in mainstream schools with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
The #BeeWell survey has now listened to the voices of more than 130,000 young people since 2021 in Greater Manchester, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton. Of those 130,000 young people, over 20,000 are recorded as having SEN, of which over 5,000 have an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC plan) and over 15,000 receive SEN support at school.
9,000 young people receiving SEN support or who have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan completed #BeeWell’s Autumn 2024 survey.
Our latest Headline Findings report celebrates pupils with SEN by sharing insights from our data on where they report comparatively good or better wellbeing than their peers, while also highlighting areas where they may be facing challenges.
Positively, the Headline Findings show that while participation varies locally, roughly one in three young people with SEN attend young clubs regularly – equivalent rates to those without SEN. Looking at other activities linked to arts, culture and entertainment, those with SEN have similar levels of participation to their peers without SEN. This includes activities like as going to the cinema or theatre (around one in four young people), reading for enjoyment (two in five young people), arts and crafts (two in five young people) and other creative hobbies (two in three young people).
At the same time, there are many areas where aspects of wellbeing for young people with SEN are less favourable. In this report we found that across a range of headline metrics – mental wellbeing, life satisfaction, self-esteem and emotional difficulties – young people with SEN report worse outcomes. This is particularly true for mental wellbeing and emotional difficulties. They also report lower perceived physical health, have a lower sense of school belonging and are less happy with their level of academic attainment that their peers without SEN.
The report shows that young people with SEN or an EHC plan experience much higher rates of discrimination and bullying than their peers. In particular, the rate of discrimination due to a disability is almost three times higher for those receiving SEN support and four times higher for those with an EHC plan compared to those without SEN. One in ten young people without SEN experience discrimination due to a disability, compared to one in four young people receiving SEN support and one in two with an EHC plan.
Young people receiving SEN support are more likely to be bullied physically, relationally and online than those without SEN, and those with an EHC plan are even more likely. The findings indicate that young people with SEN are disproportionately exposed to unfair treatment and negative experiences at school and in their wider lives. Findings also touch on the social consequences of living with SEN, revealing that over 11% of young people with either SEN support or an EHC plan often or always feel lonely, compared to 8.4% of those without SEN.
The report comes after the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) published a report which highlighted that the percentage of school pupils in England identified as having SEN has risen to 18.4% – a steep increase of 6% since 2023.
“Our findings show that more needs to be done to make sure that all young people feel safe, respected, and included – both inside and outside of school. There is a pressing need to tackle discrimination and bullying for young people with SEN. Understanding the challenges they face, by regularly listening to what they tell us about their wellbeing and lived experiences, is a crucial first step toward creating a more equitable and supportive environment for all young people.” – Dr Chris Knowles, #BeeWell
The #BeeWell survey listens to the voices of thousands of young people in secondary schools every year to understand and improve their wellbeing in Greater Manchester, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton. We are campaigning to see this approach implemented nationally.
It’s time to measure what matters and listen to young people’s voices right across England to really understand and drive action for all young people’s wellbeing. Join the call for a national wellbeing measurement programme.
Find out more and get involved in the Our Wellbeing, Our Voice campaign – led by #BeeWell, The Children’s Society, Fair Education Alliance and Pro Bono Economics.
