Key Highlights
- A fifth said their school place was not suitable. Disabled children’s legal rights are ‘red lines’ in Send overhaul, ministers warnedRead moreThe poll of nearly 1,000 autistic young people and their families comes as the government prepares to publish long-awaited plans to overhaul the special educational needs and disabilities (Send) system in England. The government is expected to introduce measures it claims are aimed at boosting provision in mainstream schools so they are better able to meet the needs of children with Send, though it accepts some pupils will always require a specialist place. About 70% of autistic pupils are educated in mainstream schools, but absence rates are high due to anxiety, sensory overload and inadequate support.
- Parents are concerned that new investment will not be adequate and the environment will continue to be unsuitable for many pupils. Analysis of survey responses by Ambitious About Autism found that 16.2% of those who responded had not been in school at all since September.
- A third (32.8%) had missed one to five days, 11.3% missed six to 10 days, 12.2% had missed between 11 and 20 days and 7.4% had missed between 20 and 40 days. Jolanta Lasota, the chief executive of Ambitious About Autism, said: “We cannot allow another generation of young people to miss out on opportunities to learn, thrive and achieve.
- We must ensure mainstream schools have the knowledge and confidence to support autistic pupils and these young people remain able to access specialist support when they need it.”The most recent national figures published by the Department for Education showed that autistic children had far higher rates of absence than children and young people without special needs. Ministers on lobbying blitz to avoid Labour rebellion over Send changes Read moreIn the 2024-25 school year in England, those with autism spectrum disorder missed nearly 11% of sessions in mainstream and special schools, and more than 28% were classed as persistently absent by the Department for Education.
- In contrast, only 14% of children without special needs were persistently absent. The figures also show that 5.5% of autistic pupils missed 50% or more of their time in school, five times more than those without special needs. Among the absentees is Sarah Greaves’s autistic son Sam, 13, who is now being educated at home after his transition to secondary school left him with “autistic burnout”.“He no longer wanted to be here, let alone go to school,” said Greaves.
