Research Report: Educational Psychology WorkforceSurvey 2013

Published by: National College for Teaching and Leadership, April 2014

SUMMARY

The Department for Education has commissioned an annual educational psychology workforce survey since 2009. Surveys were previously undertaken by the Children's Workforce Development Council, but since April 2012, the responsibility transferred to the National College for Teaching & Leadership, formerly known as the Teaching Agency.

The researchers set out to collect demographic data on the educational psychology workforce and identify the types of service in which educational psychologists are working. They surveyed 115 local authorities, and gathered information on 1,799 educational psychologists - of these 84 per cent were female and 16 per cent male. Fifty two local authorities (41 per cent) reported vacancies for educational psychologists but only 38 were recruiting to fill those posts.

The majority of local authorities - 85 councils - said educational psychology services were commissioned by the children's services senior management team, followed by local authority maintained schools (80 councils) and academies, trusts or free schools (72 councils). The number of areas in which schools commission the services of educational psychologists directly has risen this year compared with last year, despite a smaller pool of respondents.

In terms of funding, 100 out of the 115 councils reported services were funded by the core council budget - the revenue support grant. Other funding streams included "income generation" with 76 councils creating income by, for example, selling services to schools, and 39 using the dedicated schools grant.

When asked if they expected any changes to the way their services were commissioned or funded over the next 12 months, almost half of those who answered the question said they anticipated more of their services would be commissioned and funded by schools buying in services. In particular they expected more engagement from academies, clusters of schools and further education colleges. Many also anticipated less funding from core council grants. A number of respondents said they were under increasing pressure to generate income following budget cuts. A small number reported their local authority was considering different methods of delivery such as outsourcing, partnership organisations and joint ventures, while some expected services to be reconfigured as a result of special educational needs and disability reforms this September.

Eighty-one respondents said there was a greater demand for services than could be met, and around half said there was an increased demand from schools. When it came to making plans to meet this demand, 28 respondents said their service would be increasing in size over the next year, five said it would decrease, and 48 said there would be no change.

IMPLICATIONS for PRACTICE

By September 2014, all local areas in England will be required to implement key reforms to better support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities related to the Children and Families Act. For example, educational psychologists will see their remit extend to work with young people up to the age of 25. Services will need to balance their statutory duties with the increasing need to generate income via project work and selling non-statutory services to schools.

FURTHER READING

- A Discussion of the Developing Role of Educational Psychologists Within Children's Services, Kate Fallon, Kevin Woods and Steve Rooney, University of Manchester, Educational Psychology in Practice: Theory, Research and Practice in Educational Psychology, 2010. This paper reflects on the developing role of educational psychologists within the local authority children's services.

- Developing Sustainable Arrangements for the Initial Training of Educational Psychologists: Final Report, Department for Education, November 2011. This review considers the role educational psychologists play in the education system and how the configuration of psychology services is changing as a foundation for the design of future training.

- Special Educational Needs and Disability Pathfinder Programme Evaluation, Thematic Report: Key Working and Workforce Development, Kathryn Hill, Meera Craston, Kerry Daff and Graham Thom, SQW, January 2014. Looks at the experiences of areas trialling the special educational needs reforms, particularly focusing on workforce issues.