Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of access to educational psychologists in schools.

Educational psychologists (EPs) play a critical role in supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). However, their capacity is often limited by high volumes of statutory assessments, compounding local authorities’ struggles with recruitment and retention.

This is why the department is investing £26 million to train at least 200 EPs per year in 2026 and 2027, followed by further investment from 2028 to expand this training scheme, subject to future spending review. After graduation, these EPs will be required to work within a local authority in England for at least three years. This investment will help to ensure that more EPs are available to provide support, including strengthening inclusive mainstream, identifying and supporting needs earlier, and bolstering capacity to deliver assessments.

We will strengthen mainstream education settings’ capability by providing access to universal and targeted support from key services, including EPs. We want more opportunities for EPs to work in mainstream settings to support children with SEND, and we are providing around £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and integrated care boards, to work together to develop a new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer.