Young people with special educational needs face far more bullying and discrimination, according to new research

A new report from #BeeWell, a programme co-founded by Anna Freud, has found that young people with special educational needs (SEN) experience worse outcomes in mental wellbeing, life satisfaction, self-esteem and emotional difficulties than their peers. 

The report includes data from over 20,000 young people receiving SEN support or with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan in Greater Manchester, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton (of which 9,000 responses were from #BeeWell’s 2024 survey).  

The report reveals that young people with SEN or an EHC plan experience much higher rates of discrimination and bullying than their peers. In particular, the rate of discrimination due to a disability is almost three times higher for those receiving SEN support and four times higher for those with an EHC plan compared to those without SEN. One in 10 young people without SEN experience discrimination due to a disability, compared to one in four young people receiving SEN support and one in two with an EHC plan. 

Young people receiving SEN support are more likely to be bullied physically, relationally and online than those without SEN, and those with an EHC plan are even more likely. The findings indicate that young people with SEN are disproportionately exposed to unfair treatment and negative experiences at school and in their wider lives. Findings also touch on the social consequences of living with SEN, revealing that over 11% of young people with either SEN support or an EHC plan often or always feel lonely, compared to 8.4% of those without SEN. 

More positively, researchers found that, while participation varies locally, roughly one in three young people with SEN attend young clubs regularly – equivalent rates to those without SEN. Looking at other activities linked to arts, culture and entertainment, such as going to the cinema or theatre (around one in four young people), reading for enjoyment (two in five young people), arts and crafts (two in five young people) and other creative hobbies (two in three young people), those with SEN have similar levels of participation to their peers without SEN.  

#BeeWell is a youth-centred programme led by The University of Manchester, The Gregson Family Foundation and Anna Freud. The #BeeWell survey listens to the voices of thousands of young people in secondary schools every year to understand and improve their wellbeing. More than 130,000 young people have fed into the #BeeWell survey to date.    Today’s report comes after the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) published a report which highlighted that the percentage of school pupils in England identified as having SEN has risen to 18.4% - a steep increase of 6% since 2023. 

Dr Chris Knowles, from #BeeWell, said:  

“Our findings show that more needs to be done to make sure that all young people feel safe, respected, and included - both inside and outside of school. There is a pressing need to tackle discrimination and bullying for young people with SEN. Understanding the challenges they face, by regularly listening to what they tell us about their wellbeing and lived experiences, is a crucial first step toward creating a more equitable and supportive environment for all young people.” 

Professor Jessica Deighton, Director of the Applied Research and Evaluation Division at Anna Freud, Professor in Child Mental Health, and Wellbeing at UCL and Co-Academic Lead for #BeeWell, said:  

“The #BeeWell survey allows us to listen directly to young people so we can better understand how to work together to improve the issues that affect their wellbeing. Today’s findings - that show young people with special educational needs are more likely to be discriminated against due to a disability - is a reminder to not only listen to young voices, but also act on what they say. Bullying can lead to a range of adverse outcomes in childhood, including academic problems, school absenteeism and mental health problems. Working with young people locally and in schools to understand how to improve their environment and school experience would improve their outcomes long-term, helping them to thrive.” 

Read the #Beewell report

Anna Freud is also proud to be part of the 'Our Wellbeing, Our Voice' campaign through #BeeWell. The coalition – which also includes the Fair Education Alliance, the Children’s Society and Pro Bono Economics - is advocating for a national wellbeing measurement programme to address the needs of children and young people across England.   

  About #BeeWell  

Developed in response to a growing concern for the wellbeing of young people in the UK, #BeeWell is a collaboration between The University of Manchester, The Gregson Family Foundation and Anna Freud who, together with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), launched the programme in 2019. 

Building on the success of #BeeWell in Greater Manchester, the programme expanded into Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton in 2023.

Find out more about #Beewell

Using a co-designed survey, #BeeWell listens to the voices of as many young people as possible; publishes the results privately to schools and publicly by neighbourhood; and drives action across society to improve young people’s wellbeing. #BeeWell’s mission is to see this approach implemented nationally by 2030.