Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of pay for educational psychologists in the context of the cost of living crisis.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
I refer the hon. Member for Slough to the answer the former Minister for Schools and Childhood, Kelly Tolhurst, gave on 21 September 2022 to Question 45529.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help increase the number of (a) educational psychologists, (b) speech and language therapists and (c) occupational therapists working with school-age children in England.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Since 2020, the Department for Education (DfE) has increased the number of educational psychologist trainees that they fund from 160 per annum to over 200 per annum now.
They have invested £30 million to train three more cohorts of educational psychologist trainees 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, DfE 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.
To support the supply of more speech and language therapists and occupational therapists to the NHS, since September 2020 all eligible nursing, midwifery and allied health profession students have been able to apply for a non-repayable training grant of a minimum of £5,000 per academic year, with further financial support available for childcare, accommodation, and travel costs. It is the responsibility of individual employers, including schools and hospitals, to plan their staffing levels in line with their local service priorities.
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision Green Paper sets out our proposal to commission analysis to ensure that the health needs of children and young people with SEND are supported through effective workforce planning. We propose to work with Health Education England, NHS England and the Department for Education to build on existing evidence and build a clearer picture of demand for support for children and young people with SEND from the therapy and diagnostic workforce.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what new funding for training of educational psychologists will be allocated by his Department after 2022.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
In February 2022, the department announced a further £10 million investment to train over 200 more educational psychologists. Their training will commence in September 2023, and they will graduate in 2026.
In March 2022, the department published the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision Green Paper, detailing our proposals for an inclusive education system to ensure that all children and young people have timely access to specialist services and support. Consultation on these proposals closed in July, and the department is currently reviewing these responses in preparation for the publication of our SEND implementation plan.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is offering support to trainee educational psychologists with the rising cost of living including (a) access to educational bursaries and loans and (b) assistance with travel costs.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The department does not currently plan to make an assessment on increasing pay for educational psychologists.
The department currently funds the tuition fees for the three-year training course for educational psychologists, as well as a bursary for the first year of the course, which is passed on to trainees. Trainees also receive a bursary for the second and third years of study, which is funded by the local authorities where trainees undertake their placements. The bursary can be used to assist with living and travel costs.
After graduation, specific employment terms, including pay, are governed by the education psychologist’s contract of employment with their employer.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing pay for educational psychologists, in the context of the rising cost of food and domestic bills.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The department does not currently plan to make an assessment on increasing pay for educational psychologists.
The department currently funds the tuition fees for the three-year training course for educational psychologists, as well as a bursary for the first year of the course, which is passed on to trainees. Trainees also receive a bursary for the second and third years of study, which is funded by the local authorities where trainees undertake their placements. The bursary can be used to assist with living and travel costs.
After graduation, specific employment terms, including pay, are governed by the education psychologist’s contract of employment with their employer.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current number of educational psychologists in England.
Answered by Will Quince
I refer the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South to the answer I gave on 27 June 2022 to Question 23384.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
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.
Answered by Will Quince
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.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Hemsworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022; and what the name is of each consultancy contracted.
Answered by Sarah Dines
I refer the honourable member to the answers given to PQ 11689 on 8 June 2022 and PQ 18922 on 20 June 2022.
MoJ engaged the following consultancies during these periods:
4C | Accenture | Actica |
Arcadis | Astute | Atkins |
Bloom | Bowdler Project Management | Bright Green Learning |
Centre for Justice Innovation | CMH Consult | Concerto Partners |
Deloitte | Eficcio | Ernst & Young |
Health HR | IBM | KPMG |
Maureen Carson Health Executive Consultancy Ltd | Mott MacDonald | PA Consulting |
Positive Impact | Private Public | PWC |
Triad | Veracity | Whitmuir |
Work Psychology Group | XPS |
|
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase the number of specialist practitioners researching and treating Tourette’s Syndrome and other neurological disorders.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Patients with Tourette’s syndrome can require support from a range of professionals, including clinical psychologists and neurologists. Health Education England is increasing the number of trained clinical psychologists through a 60% expansion in the clinical psychology training intake in the last two years. The number of postgraduate neurology training posts in England will also be increased by 10 from August 2022.
While there are no specific plans to increase the number of specialist practitioners researching Tourette’s syndrome, the National Institute for Health and Care Research and UK Research and Innovation welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Tourette’s syndrome. All applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition. We continue to engage with stakeholders regarding Tourette’s syndrome and I recently met with the charity Tourette’s Action.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of availability of educational psychologists to support the needs of children with SEND.
Answered by Will Quince
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper sets out our vision for an inclusive education system to ensure that all children and young people have timely access to specialist services and support.
Since 2020, the department has increased the number of educational psychologist trainees that we fund to over 200, from 160 per annum, and we invested £30 million to train three more cohorts for academic years 2020, 2021, and 2022, 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.
This February 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.