Provision gap leaves some pupils 20 times less likely to be able to access support
Government efforts to deliver inclusive mainstream education are at risk due to a chronic shortage of Educational Psychologists (EPs), according to new research from the Education Policy Institute (EPI). The EPI’s new report, Educational psychologists in England, is funded by the British Psychological Society (BPS), and provides the first comprehensive national assessment of the EP workforce since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The government has recently set out plans to improve access to external support for mainstream schools – from staff such as EPs – through a new ‘experts at hand’ service. However, the report finds wide disparities in EP provision, and a shortage of specialists overall. Drawing on eight years of administrative data (2016/17–2023/24) and case studies from six local authorities (LAs), the report finds that official data undercounts the EP workforce by about a third. Standard data collections capture only EPs employed by LAs, missing approximately 1,300 full-time professionals working through traded services, multi-academy trusts, and private practice. However, this ‘hidden workforce’ is not evenly distributed -some areas have one professional for every 480 pupils, while those with the lowest levels of provision have just one for every 9,400. The report estimates that bringing the 96 LAs which currently have below-benchmark EP staffing up to that level would require an extra 1,400 full-time equivalent EPs. This would represent a 40 per cent increase in the current EP workforce, at an estimated annual cost of £140 million. However, the authors’ argue that this would be a modest investment relative to the wider costs of a failing SEND system.
There are also concerns about whether current training rates for EPs are even adequate to keep workforce numbers stable. If 10 per cent of EPs were to exit the workforce annually (roughly matching the rate for teachers), that would equate to 350 EPs. However, in 2025/26 just over 200 government funded EP training places were available. In February this year, schools minister Georgia Gould MP called on SEND professionals, including EPs, who have left the sector to consider returning, pledging that they would have ‘ring-fenced’ time on the frontline in schools, rather than ‘spending all their time doing form filling and administrative work’.
Commenting on the research James Zuccollo, the EPI’s director for school workforce and one of the report’s authors, said: ‘This report highlights a stark reality: we cannot deliver the government’s goal of inclusive mainstream education while the educational psychologist workforce remains critically under-resourced. The £1.8 billion ‘experts at hand’ programme provides a welcome framework, but its sufficiency is entirely dependent on a stable EP pipeline. Given the length of specialist training required, the government’s three-year delivery timeline is at risk without additional investment to reach adequate staffing levels.’
Dr Andrea Honess, Chair of the BPS’s Division of Educational and Child Psychology, said: ‘This vital research provides much needed insight into the state of the educational psychology workforce. The EPI report highlights that where educational psychology staffing is higher than the national average, local authorities are more likely to report better outcomes for children and young people. Rising demand, combined with a workforce shortage, has created a combination of pressures that have left gaps in provision and many local authorities struggling to keep up. We must ensure EPs have the capacity to apply their psychological expertise to work with children and families, as well as strategically in educational and community settings. This should start with a named link local authority educational psychologist for all schools, providing services free at the point of delivery.’
Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: ‘Experts like educational psychologists can play a vital role in helping mainstream schools support pupils with SEND but the shortages highlighted in this report will unfortunately chime with many school leaders. While we welcome the principles behind the government’s proposed banks of ‘Experts at Hand’, it is crucial they are supported by the funding required to significantly boost the availability of specialists.’