Asked by: Baroness Bull (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government why educational psychologists are not required to learn about dyscalculia as part of their training, but they are required to learn about dyslexia.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Educational psychologists play a critical role in the support available to children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. That is why we are already investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists over two cohorts, starting their studies in 2024 and 2025. This is in addition to the £10 million currently being invested in the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.
The Educational Psychology Funded Training scheme is a three-year doctorate programme delivered by universities on behalf of the department. The courses are approved by the Health and Care Professions Council and accredited by the British Psychological Society, who set programme content requirements. The curriculum includes 'individual differences in Maths difficulties', which we expect would cover conditions such as dyscalculia.