Educational psychologists working with schools in decline

A decrease in the number of educational psychologists in schools has been linked to budget cuts.

According to government figures, the number of psychologists employed by local authorities has dropped 13 per cent over five years. Statistics show that employment of psychologists has gone from 1,990 in 2010 to 1,650 in 2015.

This has been linked to councils limiting services as a result of budget pressures which has resulted in some local authorities no longer employing any educational psychologists.

A survey conducted by the Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP) shows that 94 per cent of psychologists believe there has been in increasing demand for the services they provide.

The AEP estimates that there is 200 vacancies in this sector in England and believe that this is a result of cuts to local authority and school budgets.

According to the association, some local authorities have had to commission professionals in this role as they no longer employ them in schools. In addition, only a “small number” of academies and trusts employ their own educational psychologists.

The prime minister announced earlier this month that there would be support for mental health services in schools, including training for teachers. However, the government’s guidance says that teachers should not work as counsellors.