What does the job involve?
Educational psychologists help children or young people at school who are experiencing social or emotional problems or who have learning difficulties. They work with children and young people individually or in groups, and with teachers, parents, social workers and other professionals. They will also provide training for teachers and other professionals.
Kate Fallon, general secretary of the Association of Educational Psychologists, says: "The children range from those who have been diagnosed with complex special educational needs not long after birth right through to young people who are struggling in the classroom or who have experienced a bereavement in the family."
Some services delivered by educational psychologists are statutory requirements. For example, they must be involved in providing statements for children with special educational needs. But much of their work is wider, including running nurturing and attachment projects, tackling bullying and training teachers in how children learn.
Who employs educational psychologists?
The vast majority of the 3,000 educational psychologists in the UK are employed by local authorities; only 200 are currently employed independently. Educational psychologists work in teams, which range from about 10 people in smaller councils to about 50 in larger authorities such as Birmingham.
What qualifications are needed?
Educational psychologists are required to undertake a three-year doctorate in educational psychology. The first year is spent studying full time, while in the second and third years trainees work in a local authority supervised by qualified educational psychologists.
Previously, an educational psychologist needed to be qualified as a teacher, but this requirement has been dropped. Now they need a degree in psychology and at least a year's experience of working with children and young people in a relevant setting before taking the doctorate.
The way training is funded is currently under review as the government believes that the current bursary system is unsustainable.
How is the current round of cuts affecting the profession?
So far there have been no forced redundancies among educational psychologists, although there have been voluntary redundancies and some unfilled vacancies have not been filled.
But Fallon says some local authorities are currently consulting on drastic reductions to educational psychology teams. "A couple of local authorities have got some fairly big proposals on the table, which if they come to fruition will require redundancies," she says. "One mid-size shire county is proposing reducing its workforce from 23 to nine."
There is a growing fear that councils will be forced to concentrate on the statutory services provided by educational psychologists and cut back on preventative work.
How is the profession changing?
Dropping the teaching requirement is leading to younger people entering the profession, according to Fallon. She also says that local authority cutbacks could lead to more educational psychologists working independently, selling services to councils, schools and others.
What does an educational psychologist earn and which organisations represent them?
Salaries start at £33,934 a year and can reach £50,243. Senior and principal educational psychologists' salaries start at £42,544 and can reach £62,942.
All educational psychologists are required to register with the Health Professions Council (www.hpc-uk.org). The British Psychological Society (www.bps.org.uk) oversees training and the Association of Educational Psychologists (www.aep.org.uk) is the trade union.
