English councils need to hire 1,400 more educational psychologists, says report

Rising demand from children with special needs means the £140m required could come from government grants Councils in England need to hire 1,400 more educational psychologists at a cost of £140m to meet demand from children with special needs such as autism, according to a new report. Research by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) found huge regional variations and chronic shortages in qualified educational psychologists working with schools, and concluded that a 40% increase in the workforce was needed to iron out the differences between the best and worst-off areas. Dr Andrea Honess, chair of the British Psychological Society’s educational and child psychology division, said: “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 educational psychologists 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 deli