Educational psychologists in England, a report by think-tank the Education Policy Institute (EPI), provides the first national assessment of the EP workforce since the Covid-19 pandemic and highlights significant inequalities in provision across England.
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Comment: How to recruit and retain more educational psychologists in local authorities
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In-depth: Trends in the SEND workforce
The analysis highlights stark variation in access to EP support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), estimating that some areas have one EP for every 480 pupils, while others have just one for every 9,400 pupils.
It also estimates that bringing the 96 local authorities below benchmark staffing levels up to standard would require around 1,400 additional full-time equivalent EPs.
This would represent a 40% increase in the current workforce, at a cost of approximately £140 million annually. The report describes this as a relatively modest investment compared with wider costs in a strained SEND system.
The report, funded by sector body the British Psychological Society, argues that government data underestimates the overall EP workforce, because it includes only those directly employed by local authorities, and not those working in settings such as multi-academy trusts and private practice.
However, it finds that this additional “hidden” workforce is not evenly distributed across the country and does not necessarily support areas with the greatest need, particularly those with high rates of deprivation.
Responding to the findings, Amanda Hopgood, chair of the Local Government Association's Young People and Families Committee, said: “To integrate the SEND system within mainstream education, it is vital there is a workforce with the right skills that can provide the support children and young people with SEND need, to help improve their educational outcomes.
"However, as this report highlights, there is a stark shortage of educational psychologists, which could undermine these efforts.
"We would like to see clarity from government on how new cohorts of specialists, including educational psychologists and speech and language therapists can be attracted into the education and SEND system.”
In February, the government pledged £26mn to recruit and train 400 EPs over the next two years.
