Educational psychologists

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The role of Educational Psychologists (EPs) in statutory assessment is well known but they also have an important role in early identification and intervention.

The Green Paper Excellence for all Children: Meeting Special Educational Needs includes a commitment to explore ways of changing the balance of EPs' work to ensure their expertise is used more effectively. Accordingly, the Government established in November 1998 the Educational Psychology Working Group (EPWG) to consider the role and training of EPs.

The EPWG's report, Educational Psychology Services (England), Current Role, Good Practice and Future Directions and the accompanying research report were published in July 2000. The reports highlight that the aim or contribution of an educational psychologist is to promote child development and learning through the application of psychology by working with individual and groups of children, teachers and other adults in schools, families, other LA officers, health and social services and other agencies. The report identifies three core areas of activity for educational psychology services:

early years work
work with schools
multi-agency work.

A training sub-group of the EPWG was established to look at the initial training and continuing professional development of EPs. The sub-group produced a consultation paper setting out a proposal for a new model for qualifying as an EP. The paper also included possible route ways into qualifying as an EP and accreditation of prior experience and learning.

The proposals in the consultation paper were well received and the majority of respondents agreed that the model based on Graduate Basis for Registration (GBR), plus three years joint Higher Education and employment involvement, was viable and could meet the needs of the profession. There was also support for the proposals on Accreditation of Prior Experience and Learning (APEL). The responses to the consultation paper did, however, raise a number of questions and issues of detail or clarification, which will need to be pursued further with EP professional associations, local authority employers and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

The DCSF has reconvened and enlarged the EPWG's training sub group to take matters forward and to ensure that all necessary steps are put in place for a successful implementation strategy. The sub group brings together key representatives from the partner organisations, including: Association of Educational Psychologists, British Psychological Society, National Association of Principal Educational Psychologists, course directors of higher education training providers, DCSF, and the local authority employers' side in the form of the Local Government Association and the Employers' Organisation.

A good deal of progress has been made and to help maintain momentum, DCSF commissioned, through the BPS, and funded a small scale implementation study designed to build on the existing work, and to advise on a number of areas that required further work and development. The results of that study have been considered by the sub group and a copy is available from the SEN website.

A second implementation report has now been received and funding for the implementation of the proposed GBR plus 3 years entry training route for EPs will be considered as part of the 2004 Government Spending Review. However, funding agreed for the DCSF in the Spending Review will reflect overall Ministerial priorities and there can be no guarantee that funding will be found to enable the implementation in the original planned start year of 2005.

A separate consultation exercise has taken place in Wales regarding the role, responsibilities and training of EP. Subject to the outcome of that work, it is anticipated that any changes to the training route for EPs in Wales will also take effect from September 2005.

Last updated: 15 July 2007

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