The number of children who were refused assessments to see if they needed extra support to meet their special educational needs rose last year by 35 per cent.

Statistics published today by the DfE show that there were 14,795 requests for an assessment for an  education and health care (EHC) plan that were refused during 2016 - an increase of 3,860 (35.3 per cent) from 2015.

The statistics also show that in 2016 decisions were made on whether 37,751 children and young people needed additional support through EHC plan and  of these 95.6 per cent had plans made during 2016.

A further 10,654 children were still waiting for a decision by January 2017.

The SEND code of practice from the DfE and Department of Health says in deciding whether to go ahead with an assessment the local authority must consider whether there is evidence that despite the early years, school or post-16 institution taking action to meet the special educational needs of the child, the child has not made expected progress.

To decide this local authorities are expected to take into account evidence such as the child’s academic attainment, information about the extent of the child’s SEN, and evidence that where progress has been made it has only been as a result of additional intervention over and above that which is usually provided.

Local authorities are expected to take no more than 20 weeks from the point when the assessment is requested until the final EHC plan is issued and of the new plans issued in 2016, just 55.7 per cent were made within this time limit.