Special needs students' higher education entry nearly doubles since 2010

The number of special needs pupils and young people from ethnic minority backgrounds going on to higher education has climbed over the past 10–15 years – albeit with large fluctuations year-on-year.

According to Government figures, the percentage of special needs pupils heading off to higher education has risen from 18 per cent in 2009/10 to 28 per cent in the most recently measured year, 2023/24.

For this group, the lowest ever progression rate was in 2010/11, at less than 15 per cent, and the highest was in 2022/23, at nearly 29 per cent.

The gap between special needs pupils and those without any identified special need fluctuates, with the largest gap being in 2020/21.

That year, more than 58 per cent of pupils with no special needs progressed compared with 22 per cent of those with special needs – a difference of more than 36 percentage points.

The smallest gap was in 2017/18, where the difference of about 25 percentage points.

Meanwhile, 2014/15 saw the highest actual number of special needs pupils going on to higher education – the only three-figure number, 115.

The worst year was 2010/11, with just 38 special needs students heading off to higher education.

Ethnicity

The proportion of students who were members of ethnic minority groups increased between 2009 and 2024, from 15 per cent up to 22 per cent.

Meanwhile, the total progression rate across all ethnicities went up from 40 per cent to 55 per cent, with consistent year-on-year improvements.

However, 2021/22 was better, with nearly 59 per cent of the group heading off to higher education.

Of the major ethnic groups, 57 per cent of Caribbean students and 80 per cent of African students progressed to higher education.

Progression rates were high for Indian (68 per cent), Bangladeshi (75), Chinese (75), and ‘Other’ Asian background (66). White and Asian mixed ethnic group was 57 per cent.

It was lower for Pakistani pupils (37) and mixed-race pupils who were white and black Caribbean (14), white and black African (42) and ‘Other’ mixed (44).

The progression rate for white British (English / Welsh / Scottish / Northern Irish) was also lower, at 38 per cent. White Irish was much higher at 72 per cent.

By 2023/2024 there were standout improvements for Pakistani pupils, jumping from 37 per cent up to 71 per cent, Caribbean pupils, going up to 75 per cent from 57.

White British (English / Welsh / Scottish / Northern Irish) also saw a significant jump in outcomes in 15 years, up to 53 per cent.

Meanwhile, 100 per cent of Chinese pupils made it to higher education in 2023/24.

But bucking the trend, the proportion of African-identified pupils going dropped significantly, down to 55 per cent.

This is the most fluctuating group of the set, with progression rates making large swings upwards and downwards between years, varying from 100 per cent to 25 per cent.

There is also a ‘high tariff’ measure – which looks at what percentage of people reached a university with higher entry requirements.

Here, black students in particular showed huge improvement from 2009 to 2024, jumping from zero per cent to 24 per cent. People of mixed-race backgrounds also improved from seven per cent up to nearly double that at 13 per cent.

Modest improvements were seen across the board for all other groups.