Educational Psychologists Warn of Lack of Funding Within the Sector
05 Mar, 20251-2 minutes
The funding crisis within the educational psychology sector has resulted in immense pressure for Educational Psychologists and made it increasingly hard to deliver the support that children and young people with SEND require.
The systemic financial constraints experienced within many local authorities are creating significant barriers and leaving many Educational Psychologists feeling overstretched.
To uncover valuable insights, we conducted our own research with Educational Psychologists (EPs) from both local authority and private practice.
Their thoughts were conclusive when it came to the negative effects that a lack of funding is having on children and young people and the ability of EPs to carry out their work effectively.
One Educational Psychologist (EP) said, “EP services are grossly underfunded given the demand for them from schools and parents. The EHC (Education, Health and Care) system has contributed to this and has arguably restricted and de-skilled the profession as statutory assessments have come to dominate workloads.”
Government figures indicate that 84,428 new EHC plans started during 2023, an increase of 17,722 (26.6%) from 2022. As of January 2024, 575,963 EHC plans were in place, an increase of 58,914 (11.4%) from January 2023.
The government's own figures indicate that only 50.3% of EHC plans are issued within the statutory 20 week time frame.
Coupled with unrealistic workloads, a lack of funding is making it increasingly difficult for Educational Psychologists to deliver outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). There is concern that underfunding and increased demand for services will widen the gap in outcomes for those with SEND.
SEND recruitment specialist, Richard Shorrock, says, “Educational Psychologists are gravely concerned about the lack of funding within the sector which must be worrying for schools, parents and guardians of children and young people with SEND.”
Richard continued “Despite the challenges, it’s clear that Educational Psychologists are doing what they can to overcome the barriers they face and continue to deliver a high standard of service.”
Discover more insights in the SCG Educational Psychology Workforce Insights Report 2024.
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Simply contact Natalie Boaler on 01772 954200 to discover how we can help.
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