Report: How to Help Me Learn and Thrive

Released: 12 May 2026

A new report from the Disabled Children’s Partnership and Kids, based on research with 520 disabled children and young people aged 11–25, shows how the SEND system is failing them — and what needs to change.

Disabled young people want the same ordinary things others take for granted: the right support to learn, opportunities to make friends, and a place where they feel they belong. But too often, that is not the reality. This report shares their experiences of failed support in the SEND system, alongside clear ideas for how to fix it.

This is about more than education. It is about belonging, confidence, independence, and future life chances. When support is inconsistent, incomplete, or missing altogether, disabled young people are shut out of everyday experiences that matter: learning, friendships, clubs, trips, and feeling part of a community. 

The government has said children and young people will be at the heart of SEND reform. This report shows exactly why that matters — and sets out what needs to change so young people can get what they are asking for. 

Key Takeaways 

• Only 28% of disabled young people say they get the right amount of learning support when at their educational or training setting.
• Only 36% feel part of their school or college community, and just 32% have the number of friends they would like.
• Even when support exists on paper, it often doesn’t show up in practice. 76% have or had an EHCP — yet many still do not receive the support they are legally entitled to.
• True inclusion goes beyond the classroom. It means support throughout the day — including break times, school trips, and activities. Right now, only 19% have the support they need to take part in clubs before or after school.
• Too many young people are struggling just to access education. Only 39% say they get the right support to attend when they can.
• The workforce is a key part of the solution. Only 41% attend a setting with staff trained to meet their needs — while 68% say staff understanding their needs is critical, and 67% say inclusive activities would improve participation.
• This is not just about education — it is about young people’s futures. Without the right support, young people face disengagement, isolation, and exclusion in adulthood.
• A generation of disabled young people is being let down by a system that is not built for them. That must change — and this consultation is the moment to make it happen.

Our Recommendations 

Young people with SEND tell us that the most important things are to secure the right support consistently from staff who understand their needs, to be able to make friends, enjoy clubs and activities and to feel part of their school or college community. 

We must all focus on removing barriers to learning and thriving, so that when it comes to their education and social life, they enjoy the same, ordinary things that other young people take for granted.

Based on what the young people told us in this research, the key recommendations from the Disabled Children’s Partnership and Kids are: 

1. Strengthened right to joined-up education, health and social care support and accountability for when that support is not delivered, because young people have told us the right support is transformational.
2. Truly inclusive nurseries, schools and colleges, which are set up for children with SEND, whilst recognising and protecting the place for special schools to deliver the support young people say they need to learn and belong.
3. More ambition to reduce the barriers to attendance for pupils with SEND against a background of young disabled people telling us they feel unsupported and isolated from the school/college community.
4. Increasing young people’s inclusion in schools and colleges by investing to promote a fundamental culture shift in education, local councils and wider society.
5. A system that ensures young people are meaningfully included in every decision about their support in education, health and care.