England's Schools Need 1,400 More Educational Psychologists to Support Special Needs

Councils in England face a significant shortage of educational psychologists, with a need for 1,400 more professionals to support children with special needs such as autism, according to a recent report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI).

Research by the EPI found substantial regional variations in the availability of qualified educational psychologists working with schools. The report concludes that a 40% increase in the workforce is necessary to address these disparities. Dr. Andrea Honess, chair of the British Psychological Society’s educational and child psychology division, stated: "Rising demand, combined with a workforce shortage, has created a combination of pressures that have left gaps in provision and many local authorities struggling to keep up."

Addressing the Shortage

Dr. Honess emphasized the importance of ensuring educational psychologists have the capacity to apply their expertise to work with children and families, as well as strategically in educational and community settings. This should start with a named link local authority educational psychologist for all schools, providing services free at the point of delivery.

The EPI suggests that the estimated £140m cost of hiring more educational psychologists could be covered by the government’s new £1.8bn "experts at hand" grants for local authorities, which will be introduced later this year. The report highlights that educational psychologists are vital to the government’s plans to reform special educational needs and disabilities (Send) provision.

The study found that the increased demand for educational psychologists is driven by factors such as inflexible school behavior policies and shortages of dedicated special school places or support staff. Educational psychologists reported that their caseloads are affected by rising rates of school avoidance and autism diagnosis, as well as greater parental involvement through private assessments and legal avenues to seek support for their children.

Current Workforce and Funding

There are approximately 3,400 full-time specialist educational psychologists working in England, including those in private practice or working as locums. The government currently funds just over 200 trainees each year. James Zuccollo, the EPI’s director for school workforce, said: "Continuing to fund training for only 200 [educational psychologists] each year will not be enough to adequately support children’s needs. A relatively modest investment of around £140m would allow EPs to work more effectively to improve outcomes and break the cycle of burnout and attrition that currently threatens the service."

High demand for psychologists to carry out statutory assessments for education, health and care plans (EHCPs) is causing many to leave for more holistic job roles in the private sector. Some local authorities have reported receiving no applications for advertised vacancies, including highly paid senior roles.

Amelia Canning, policy adviser for the national disability charity Sense, said: "Specialists such as educational psychologists are extremely important for disabled children with complex needs to access education. We frequently hear heartbreaking stories from families whose children are struggling without the support in place needed to access education because they are on a waiting list for an assessment from an educational psychologist."