Schools across UK short of 1,400 of educational psychologists, experts warn
The government must fund more than a thousand additional educational psychologists in mainstream schools as part of reforms for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), a new report has warned.
Research by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) has suggested that schools should increase the number of specialists available by 40 per cent (an increase of 1,400). This will cost £140 million and the group says it can be funded through existing government grants.
According to the report, in some parts of the country there is one educational psychologist for every 480 students, while in the worst affected there is one educational psychologist for every 9,400 students.
It is also stated that extra psychologists will be needed to bring the 96 local authorities that are not sufficiently competent to the right level.
Educational psychologists work with teachers, parents, and other professionals to address barriers or behavioral barriers that students face in learning and are part of ensuring that children facing difficulties receive the right support to succeed emotionally and academically.
EPI school workforce director James Zuccollo said the report “highlights a stark reality,” adding: “We cannot meet the government’s goal of inclusive general education while the educational psychologist workforce is critically under-resourced.”
The government launched a series of reforms to the SEND system in February, saying it would become more inclusive for people with additional needs.
EPI’s research found that official data on educational psychologists was undercounted by nearly a third; But he said an estimated 1,300 full-time staff were missed, not evenly distributed where there were gaps.
Previous research from the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Association of Educational Psychologists has also warned that if around 10 per cent of the workforce (about 350 staff) leave each year, the workforce will need to replace them before it grows.
Despite this, there were only around 200 state-funded study places available in 2025/26.
As part of the SEND reforms, the Government has announced £1.8 billion to create a bank of SEND specialists and specialists across the board.
Mr Zuccollo said: “The £1.8 billion Experts in Hand program provides a welcome framework, but its adequacy depends entirely on a stable EP pipeline.
“Given the length of specialist training required, the Government’s three-year lead time is at risk unless additional investment is made to achieve adequate staffing levels.
“Continuing to provide education funding to only 200 EPs each year will not be enough to adequately support children’s needs.
“A relatively modest investment of around £140 million will enable EPs to work more effectively to improve outcomes and break the cycle of burnout and attrition that currently threatens the service.”
A Department for Education spokesman said: “Our once-in-a-generation reforms are overhauling the broken, one-size-fits-all SEND system that is resetting our understanding of inclusivity to create an education system that suits every child, whatever their needs or background. “They are backed by £4bn to ensure every child gets the right support in their local school at the earliest possible stage, without having to fight for it.
“We are investing £26 million to train hundreds of new Educational Psychologists over the next few years, which will mean more professionals working directly with schools to spot problems before they escalate, train staff and run group exercises for students with autism, ADHD and other needs.
“This is further strengthened by our £1.8bn investment to provide access to advice, guidance and support from experts such as speech and language therapists and educational psychologists, so help can be received faster, earlier and more easily.”
