Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the value for money provided by educational psychologists; whether she has had recent discussions with the Association of Educational Psychologists’ on recruitment and retention within the profession; and if she will make it her policy to ensure local authorities are provided with sufficient funding to increase recruitment and retention rates.

Educational psychologists play a critical role in the support available to children and young people, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. This was evidenced in a recent research report on the workforce, commissioned by the department and published by Warwick Institute of Employment Research and Ecorys, in June 2023. This is why the department is investing a further £21 million to fund the training of a further 400 educational psychologists from 2024.

The department regularly engages with stakeholders, including the Association of Educational Psychologists, on issues relating to the educational psychology workforce. With regards to funding, it is the responsibility of employers to decide what is affordable within their overall resources. The majority of government funding is not ringfenced in recognition of local authorities being best placed to understand local priorities.