Department for Education
Reporting year 2026

Education, health and care plans

Children and young people in England with an education, health and care plan (EHC), including annual local authority activity on EHC requests and assessments.

Accredited official statistics
Department for Education
Published
UK statistics authority quality mark

Get help by contacting us

If you have a specific enquiry about Education, health and care plans statistics and data:

School Census Statistics team

Email: sen.statistics@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Special Educational Needs statistics lead

Press office

If you have a media enquiry:

Telephone: 020 7783 8300

Public enquiries

If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:

Phone: 0370 000 2288

Opening times

Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5.30pm (closed on bank holidays)

Accredited official statistics

These accredited official statistics have been independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (opens in new tab) (OSR). They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics (opens in new tab). Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 (opens in new tab).

Accreditation signifies their compliance with the authority's Code of Practice for Statistics (opens in new tab) which broadly means these statistics are:

  • managed impartially and objectively in the public interest
  • meet identified user needs
  • produced according to sound methods
  • well explained and readily accessible

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).

OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics (opens in new tab) that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website (opens in new tab).


Pre-release access list

Besides Department for Education (DfE) professional and production staff, the following post holders were given pre-release access up to 24 hours before release.

  • Secretary of State for Education 
    Minister for Children and Families
    Minister of State (Minister for School Standards)
    Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Early Education
    Minister for Skills
    Special adviser - Parliamentary, Social Media, and Regional/Trade Press Comms
    Special adviser - Women & Equalities Policy
    Special adviser - Policy, Speeches, and Political Engagements
    Special adviser - Policy
    Special adviser - Communications
    Permanent secretary 
    Chief Analyst and Director of Strategic Analysis, Research, Data, Insight and Science
    Deputy Director - press office 
    Deputy Director - SEND and alternative provision 
    Deputy Head of Profession (Statistics)
    Director - Vulnerable Childrens Unit
    Director General – Digital and Infrastructure Group
    Director General for Schools
    Director General for Strategy
    Director of Schools Systems, Academies and Reform
    Director, SEND and Alternative Provision
    Economist - SEN and AP analysis
    Head of Children & Schools Statistics
    Head of Profession (HoP) for statistics
    Head of SEND Insights Unit
    Head of schools and funding analysis 
    Head of Unit -  Statutory Support and EHCPs
    Head of Unit - SEND & Alternative Provision Directorate
    Media officer
    Policy advisor - Statutory Support and EHCPs
    Social media officer
    Team Leader - Assessment and Child Experience Unit
    Team Leader - School and Pupils Statistics
    Team leader - SEN and AP analysis
    Team leader - SEND and alternative provision 
    Team leader - SEND Local Partnerships
    Team leader - Specialist commissioning
    Team leader -  SEND First Tier Tribunal
    Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal team - Ministry of Justice
    Statistician - Civil and administrative justice - Ministry of Justice 
    Team leader - Civil and administrative justice - Ministry of Justice 
    Head of Statistics - Civil and administrative justice - Ministry of Justice 

Provide us with feedback

We are always developing the service and welcome feedback to help steer our work. If you have any feedback that you'd like to share, you can use our feedback form (opens in new tab) to leave us any comments or questions.