Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many places for trainee educational psychologists his Department will fund in 2023; and whether he is taking steps to increase this number in future years.

Since 2020, the department has increased the number of educational psychologist trainees that we fund to over 200, from 160 per annum. We have invested £30 million to train three more cohorts for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 academic years, to reflect increased demand. The first cohort will enter the workforce in 2023 to provide crucial support to children and young people, schools, families, and local authorities.

On 29 March 2022 the department announced a further investment of over £10 million to train over 200 more educational psychologists. These trainees will begin their courses in September 2023, and graduate in 2026.