Written evidence submitted by The British Psychological Society

(SFC0028)

The British Psychological Society (BPS) is the representative body for psychology and Psychologists throughout the UK. We are committed to providing and disseminating evidence-based expertise and engaging with policy and decision makers. We believe psychology has an important role to play in government policy and improving lives of the public.

Key messages

• Children are increasingly presenting in greater numbers and with more complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) than ever before. Educational Psychologists (EPs) are experts in supporting children and young people with SEND and play a vital role in schools and the wider education system. As such, the rising number of pupils requiring special educational needs support has resulted in an increase in demand for EPs and their services.
• However, there is currently a recruitment and retention crisis of EPs and capacity is not keeping pace with demand. This is leading to many children and young people not having timely access to vital support. Moreover, there are regional disparities in access to EP services, which is resulting in unequal outcomes for children and young people.
• Action must be taken to address the current unequal access to EP services, such as through ringfenced funding for local authorities to provide the level of service required from the EP workforce. Henceforth, every maintained education setting must have a linked EP based in their local authority, that is free at the point of delivery, where they can have maximum impact working in partnership with colleagues in education, health and social care.
• Furthermore, greater focus on measures to retain EPs working in local authority employment, alongside a fully funded and costed workforce plan to enable equitable delivery of EP services is critical.
• Increased time and flexibility for EPs to engage in preventative and early intervention to prevent difficulties becoming entrenched and thus more difficult and expensive to address later.
• There are wider education system failures that need to be addressed. Therefore, a holistic review of the positioning of SEND within the wider education system is vital.

Performance of the system

1. There have been many recent reports and evidence that highlight the pressures being faced in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, leading to the emotional wellbeing and learning needs of children and young people not being met. Most recently, the National Audit Office (NAO) reported that there has been no consistent improvement in outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) since 2019.[1]

2. Concerningly, children are increasingly presenting in the SEND system.[2] Schools and local authorities have a pivotal role to play in identifying need and providing tailored interventions and support to children and young people in primary, secondary and further education settings.

3. However, the biggest risk to the SEND system and local authorities’ ability to meet this ever-increasing need is the lack of staff. The government’s 2023 SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan committed to taking a joint approach to SEND workforce planning through the Department for Education (DfE) and the Department of Health and Social Care.[3] However, as yet, there is no evidence to suggest this work has started.

4. Educational Psychologists (EPs) are experts in supporting children and young people with SEND. EPs play a vital role in schools and the wider education system, and they improve children’s overall experiences of learning, educational outcomes, and mental health and wellbeing. By working in partnership with families and other professionals, EPs help children and young people achieve their full potential, and they support schools and local authorities to enable all children to fully participate in educational settings, by meeting their learning needs.

5. Hence, the rising number of pupils requiring special educational needs support has resulted in an increase in demand for EPs. There is welcomed investment in the training of EPs[4], however, capacity is not keeping pace with demand, which is resulting in unmet needs and unequal access to EP services.[5] In February 2024, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman stated that the current shortage of EPs is having a significant impact on councils’ ability to adequately meet the needs of children with SEND,[6] and in 2023, only 50 per cent of education, health and care plans were being produced within the statutory 20-week timeframe.[7] 

6. Furthermore, a recent survey of EPs in England, carried out by the BPS, found that 70 per cent of respondents feel that children and young people in their local authority didn't have fair and equal access to an EP, 73 per cent do not feel they have enough time to fulfil their role as an EP, and 53 per cent say they are unable to support young people effectively with their current workload.

7. DfE highlighted similar findings, reporting that they were consistently told that EPs did not have enough capacity to meet demand for their services, with just 11 per cent of senior EPs stating that they were very or quite confident in their continuing ability to meet demand. [8]

8. As a result, a significant amount of money is spent by local authorities on filling vacancies through private employment agencies – the Association of Educational Psychologists projects that over £40m is spent to cover unfilled EP posts via agency and locum staff.[9] It is well known that the use of agency and locum staff is more costly than employing permanent, full-time staff, and this is therefore not a sustainable solution to plugging workforce gaps.

9. It is indisputable that all pupils should have access to the resources and support needed to fulfil their full potential. More children and young people than ever before are being identified as having SEND, but capacity to support those children is not keeping pace with this demand. Fundamental reform of the SEND system in England is therefore crucial, as giving children and young people the best start in life is key to ensuring that they lead long and healthy lives.

The overall picture on the support available and outcomes achieved for those with SEN

10. The 2014 Children and Families Act represented significant changes of the education system for children and young people with SEND in England, with the new policies proposing a more holistic approach to SEND provision and education.[10] The government recognised that the legislation had been failing in its intentions,[11] and the majority of local authorities are continuing to fail to provide adequate support for children with SEND in their communities.[12] Barriers to achieving the 2014 reforms include lack of funding and insufficient capacity within the specialist SEND workforce, which has led to fragmented policy implementation.[13] Urgent action to address funding and workforce shortfalls is therefore critical.

11. Educational settings can usually meet the needs of most children and young people, however, when further support is needed to improve a child’s emotional wellbeing and learning, EPs are best placed to work with families and schools to provide support and improve educational outcomes. EPs are trained to understand, recognise, and support children's mental health and well-being needs. EPs support schools and the local authority to enable all children to fully participate in educational settings and receive a well-rounded education, and overall improve children’s experiences of learning.

12. However, there is currently a recruitment and retention crisis of EPs, leading to many children and young people not having timely access to the vital support EPs can provide.[14] Almost half of respondents to a recent survey of EPs in England said they are either going to leave employment (26 per cent) in the next year or are undecided (20 per cent), and over half said they are either not at all positive (9 per cent) or not very positive (42 per cent) about the future of educational psychology practice.[15] Furthermore, a third of local authorities have difficulties with retention of EPs.[16] This is particularly concerning as children with SEND are one of the most disadvantaged groups in education.[17]

13. In 2023, a survey of EPs found that 69 per cent of senior EPs said they were not very confident or not confident at all that they would be able to continue to meet demand for EP services if funding, training and service delivery models stayed the same.[18] Moreover, in a recent study of EP services in primary and secondary schools, all schools surveyed said they would commission more EP time if they had sufficient funding, and it was projected that local authorities would commission a fourfold increase in EP time if funding allowed.[19]

14. As a result, there are regional disparities in access to EP services, which is resulting in unequal outcomes for children and young people.[20] For example, 84 per cent of respondents to the Schools North East State of the Region Survey indicated that they did not have capacity and resources to adequately support SEND students.[21] At a time when demand for support is increasing, this is a serious concern for all of those in the SEND system.

Government action to create a sustainable SEN system and restore confidence

15. EPs play a vital role in the SEN and wider education system. The EP workforce is committed to enabling a truly inclusive education system where every learner can access high-quality educational settings, regardless of need. However, current workforce shortages are significantly impacting EPs ability to adequately provide support and intervention for children and young people that is equitable across England.

16. Action must therefore be taken to address the current unequal access to EP services, such as through ringfenced funding for local authorities to provide the level of service required from the EP workforce. As such, every maintained education setting must have a linked EP based in their local authority, that is free at the point of delivery, where they can have maximum impact working in partnership with colleagues in education, health and social care. This will ensure that there is equitable national provision and standards eliminating the current postcode lottery where some learners and families are unable to access an EP without seeking support from private practices.

17. In order to ensure the SEND system is able to keep pace with the current rising demand, greater focus on measures to retain EPs working in local authority employment are needed. It is essential that EPs work in an environment that is supportive, and where staff feel recognised and valued for their contribution. Equally, it is vital that EPs are given greater control and balance over their work, especially with regard to statutory services.

18. A fully funded and costed workforce plan to enable equitable delivery of EP services is essential. Given the demographics of the educational psychology profession overall and the lengthy training process required, it is important that workforce planning takes into account inevitable factors around retirement which are projected to reduce the EP workforce in the next few years.[22] Crucially, adequate funding in all of the areas required to achieve increased workforce numbers is essential.

19. It is well acknowledged that prevention and early intervention is more cost-effective than allowing difficulties to escalate.[23] Despite this, the well-documented increase in children and young people with SEND has meant that educational psychology resource is consistently being redirected to meet the escalating statutory demand, rather than towards important early preventative work. Increased time and flexibility for EPs to engage in early intervention and advisory work is essential to achieving greater outcomes and a truly inclusive education system. This will in turn reduce the demand and pressure on other frontline services and produce significant returns on investment.

20. A holistic review of the positioning of SEND within the wider education system is required. This will need to include considerations of the additional needs that children and young people experience, becoming more fully integrated into general educational policy and legislation – as required and outlined in the SEND code of practice[24] and the Equality Act.[25] The way school performance is measured must also be reviewed, alongside the balance in the relative roles, responsibilities, powers and recourse to accountability for academies/multi-academy trusts and local authorities.

21. The wider education system is struggling to cope with supporting children and young people with SEND. DfE must acknowledge the competing pressures and legislative frameworks within the education system e.g. narrow and rigid curricula, high stakes performance measures for schools and teachers, and a culture of competition between schools. It must be recognised that these factors, alongside chronic underfunding, are making it increasingly difficult for schools to provide inclusive education and is leading to an ever-growing proportion of children having to seek education within special schools or simply not attend.

22. A partnership approach between families, schools and practitioners would better enable collaboration and greater sharing of information and expertise, which would in turn support effective outcomes for those in the SEND system. Furthermore, full involvement of EPs in the training of school staff and equipping them to be ready for the challenges of increasing SEND would support improved early intervention and enable better support to children and young people and their parents/carers. High quality training in SEND for all teachers and Special Educational Needs Coordinators is also necessary.

23. Reviewing and reforming the SEND system to ensure all children thrive in their education is crucial. Schools and local authorities have a pivotal role to play in enabling a truly inclusive education system where every learner can access high-quality educational settings, regardless of need. EPs have a key role in making this a reality, and so the recruitment and retention challenges of EPs must be addressed urgently, as without this, the needs of children and young people and their families will continue to go unmet, and the escalation of need will increase. Measures to better embed prevention and early intervention into the education system are also vital.

November 2024