Research and analysis

SEND futures longitudinal study - discovery phase

Findings and methodology from the first year discovery phase of a longitudinal study looking at children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Applies to England

Documents

SEND futures discovery phase: wave 1 methodological report

SEND futures: lives at age 12 to 13

Details

The SEND futures discovery phase is a 2-year pilot that aims to examine the viability of conducting a large-scale longitudinal study to gather evidence on the experiences and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England.

We conducted face-to-face and online fieldwork with year 8 pupils with SEND and their parents. We ran a number of experiments on engagement with the survey.

The methodological report outlines the design and findings from the first year of research, including a detailed look at response rates and the effectiveness of measures such as incentives, survey length and additional interviewer training.

The report on lives at age 12 to 13 demonstrates the potential of the study to produce evidence on:

  • pupils with different types of SEN
  • being in mainstream or special education settings

The report includes a selection of topics covered in the surveys:

  • peer relationships
  • bullying
  • wellbeing
  • independence

We have also included easy read and British Sign Language (BSL) summaries of the report.

A simple summary of key findings from the research with young people with SEND aged 12 to 13 has been published by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen).

Published 14 December 2023
Last updated 17 May 2024 + show all updates
  1. Added 'Lives of young people with SEND at 12 or 13 years old: easy read' and a British Sign Language summary of the report.

  2. First published.