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DCSF: Children with Special Educational Needs 2009: an analysis

DescriptionThe Special Educational Needs (SEN) Information Act (2008) required the Secretary of State to publish information about children in England with special educational needs to help improve the well-being of these children.

This new annual statistical publication was developed to meet the requirements of the Act. This publication includes a wealth of new information on pupils with SEN alongside further interpretation of existing findings. The majority of the new analysis includes breakdowns of existing information by primary SEN type. All figures are provided at national level, with some Government Office Region and Local Authority level information.The publication is divided into the following seven key themes with data derived from a range of sources, including the School Census, National Pupil Database and the Tellus 3 survey:

  • Theme 1: Characteristics of pupils with SEN.
  • Themes 2 to 5: Attainment of pupils with SEN.
  • Theme 6: Absence and exclusions from school of pupils with SEN.
  • Theme 7: The views of pupils with a learning difficulty from the Tellus 3 survey.


Full publication (Introduction, Chapters 1 to 7, Data Annexes 1 to 7 and Glossary):
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Additional information Theme 1: Characteristics of pupils with SEN:
Additional informationPDF (Chapter 1 and Data Annex 1)
Additional informationEXCEL (Tables 1.1 to 1.27 from the publication - National information)
Additional information Theme 2: Attainment of pupils with SEN at Key Stages 2 and 4:
Additional informationPDF (Chapter 2 and Data Annex 2)
Additional informationEXCEL (Tables 2.1 to 2.18 from the publication - National and Local Authority information)
Additional information Theme 3: Attainment gap between pupils with and without SEN at Key Stages 2 and 4 (National Indicators 104 and 105):
Additional informationPDF (Chapter 3 and Data Annex 3)
Additional informationEXCEL (Tables 3.1 to 3.4 from the publication - National and Local Authority information)
Additional information Theme 4: Attainment progression between Key Stages 2 and 4 for pupils with SEN:
Additional informationPDF (Chapter 4 and Data Annex 4)
Additional informationEXCEL (Tables 4.1 to 4.7 from the publication - National information)
Additional information Theme 5: Attainment of pupils with SEN by the age of 19 years:
Additional informationPDF (Chapter 5 and Data Annex 5)
Additional informationEXCEL (Tables 5.1 to 5.3 from the publication - National information)
Additional information Theme 6: Absences and Exclusions from school of pupils with SEN:
Additional informationPDF (Chapter 6 and Data Annex 6)
Additional informationEXCEL (Tables 6.1 to 6.7 from the publication - National and Local Authority information)
Additional information Theme 7: The views of pupils with a learning difficulty compared to other pupils:
Additional informationPDF (Chapter 7 and Data Annex 7 - National information)
Reference ID             
Coverage Country England
Date Released8 October 2009
Main Category Children, Education and Skills
Sub CategorySpecial Educational Needs and additional support    Click on subcategory link to see if there is later information
TypeOther Statistics
ContactIan Winkworth  Ian.Winkworth@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk  tel: 0207 783 8519
 Publication includes individual Local Authority informationPublication includes individual Local Authority information

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