Identification, assessment and provision of special education needs in England: a cross-sectional survey to compare perceptions of young people, parents/carers and professionals

In England, the legislative framework supporting learners identified with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is, once again, under scrutiny following the UK government’s 2023 ‘SEND and alternative provision improvement plan’. It is timely, therefore, to seek the views of children and young people with SEN, their parents/carers, and the professionals working with them, to inform future policy decisions that will affect their daily lives. This study reports on three self-report, cross-sectional surveys completed by young people with SEN (N = 77), parents/carers (N = 770) and SEN professionals (N = 863). We present descriptive statistics to compare the perceptions of these stakeholders across three key aspects of the SEN process: identification, assessment, and provision. In addition, we describe survey responses according to the most frequently reported SEN groups, and parent responses according to the number of children they care for with SEN. Results show negative perceptions of assessment for multiple groups, and mixed perceptions of identification and provision. Specifically, the results highlight implications around parent/carer advocacy, information for families, children and young people’s involvement, professionals’ training, and the local context of provision.