Building Confidence, Enabling Success: Inside the ASUS SEND Reliability Report

For many pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), a laptop or Chromebook isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s their pen, their exercise book and in some cases, their voice.

When that device fails, the support they rely on can vanish in a second.

Why SEND reliability matters

Nearly one in five pupils in England, over 1.7 million learners now receive some form of SEND support. This figure includes over 482,000 learners with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in place, double the number in 2016.

As staff are stretched thinner, technology has become a practical way to extend support to these students. Word processors for students with dyslexia, digital planners for executive function or working-memory difficulties and typed work instead of handwriting for dyspraxia are now a part of everyday classroom life.

Our research surveyed 800 secondary and all-through teachers across the UK. It found that teachers work across a wide range of needs in their schools - from dyslexia and autism to ADHD and anxiety disorders - with 65% of SEND learners showing a moderate dependency on digital tools.

While technology isn’t replacing traditional methods, it does enable SEND learners. So what happens when the tools fail?

When technology fails, SEND support fails alongside it

The report’s central finding is clear: device reliability is now the single biggest technology barrier facing SEND pupils.

When teachers were asked what most prevents technology from working effectively for SEND learners:

• 38% pointed to devices that crash, freeze or simply refuse to work when needed
• 36% highlighted a lack of devices
• 35% cited inadequate training on SEND-related technology

This isn’t a once-in-a-blue-moon issue. More than one in ten teachers say device failures or physical damage disrupt SEND learning every week, and over half report interruptions at least two to three times a month.

Crucially, SEND pupils are hit harder than their peers:

• 17% of teachers say SEND pupils are much more negatively affected or unable to continue learning at all
• A further 37% say they are somewhat more affected than mainstream pupils.

For a pupil with dysgraphia who relies on typing because handwriting is painful, there is no quick switch back to pen and paper.

Confidence, anxiety and the rise of “tech avoidance”

The impact of unreliable devices isn’t just practical, it’s emotional. Teachers report clear patterns when technology fails for SEND learners:

• 55% report frustration or anxiety about using technology
• 52% see students’ learning routines disrupted
• 38% say pupils lose confidence in their ability to complete tasks
• 30% see pupils fall behind lesson objectives

Over time, these experiences build into something more worrying: technology avoidance.

Two in five teachers say they’ve seen SEND pupils start to shy away from tech-based tasks, and 13% report a clear pattern of withdrawal.

As resources and assessments increasingly move online, avoidance becomes an access issue. Mainstream classmates log on without a second thought; SEND learners hesitate, anxious about whether the device will let them down. This can cause problems later in life.

The hidden cost for teachers and schools

Unreliable devices don’t just drain student confidence; they drain teacher capacity too. On average, teachers spend an extra two hours and twenty minutes every week troubleshooting devices specifically for SEND pupils.

That’s time not spent planning, assessing or providing individualised support.

This also shapes how teachers plan:

• 10% regularly avoid technology-dependent activities for SEND learners because they can’t rely on the devices
• 42% keep backup plans ready in case the tech fails
• Only 13% feel able to plan assuming technology will work as intended.

The very tools meant to widen access can end up narrowing what teachers feel confident offering.

What happens when technology does work?

The hopeful part of the report is what teachers see when devices are reliable.

When SEND students have consistent access to working digital tools:

• 35% see increased confidence
• 19% notice better homework completion
• 18% see more classroom participation
• 16% report reduced anxiety
• 10% observe improved behaviour and engagement.

Almost every teacher surveyed (97%) has seen confidence grow among SEND pupils after receiving digital tools, with two-thirds saying learners with dyslexia, dyspraxia or ADHD perform better academically when they can rely on technology working as expected.

This echoes early results from the Department for Education’s £1.7 million assistive technology lending library pilot, where 86% of staff reported positive behaviour impacts and 89% greater confidence among SEND pupils using assistive tech.

The message is clear: when technology is dependable, SEND learners thrive.

What teachers really want from devices

Given this picture, it’s no surprise that teachers’ priorities are clear. When asked what matters most when choosing hardware for SEND pupils:

• 63% put consistent, reliable performance at the top of the list
• 42% value specialist accessibility software pre-installed (such as speech-to-text)
• 42% prioritise ease of repair
• Around a third stress the importance of thorough training and rugged, durable designs that can survive rucksacks and busy corridors
• Just 13% choose “lowest cost” as their main factor

ASUS for SEND Education

Every student learns differently, and some face additional challenges. That’s why our range is designed to support SEND learners alongside their peers, with options for every age, subject and learning style. The modular design of an ASUS device makes repairs quick and cost-effective, while extended battery life ensures learning is rarely interrupted.With features like anti-glare screens to reduce eye strain, full-sized keyboards for comfortable typing, and touchscreen models for hands-on, interactive learning, our devices adapt to each student’s needs, helping SEND learners engage confidently and comfortably.

Each device arrives with Windows 11 Pro Education ready or Chrome Education ready, with easy management tools that save IT teams precious time and resources, so teachers can focus on supporting every learner, in every classroom.

As SEND numbers rise, the question for schools is no longer whether to use technology to support inclusion – it’s whether the technology is reliable enough to keep the promise.

Explore our devices here.