“I've heard cases where people have waited two or three years to see an EP”

Educational psychologist and UCL IOE tutor Dr Cynthia Pinto has been one of the leading voices for the BPS campaign to improve SEND educational provisions. As the campaign hits 1,000 plus letters written to MPs and the issues in the SEND system gain increasing traction in the media, Cynthia explains why the campaign has come at a crucial time for SEND provision and what can be done to safeguard education equity.

The BPS surveyed 249 educational psychologists (EPs) recently about the state of the workforce. There were some pretty stark findings - nearly three-quarters felt they did not have time to fulfil their roles and around half were considering leaving. Do these findings mirror what you are hearing from EPs day-to-day?

Anecdotally, yes. As a result of the backlog of Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments (EHCNA), some authorities are asking their EPs to focus solely on this work. However, this causes a vicious, downward spiral where there is insufficient early intervention which means that needs then require costly intervention later through an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

This also means that EPs, many of whom have had three years of doctoral training, are unable to apply the skills they have acquired through this training. For example, supporting learners with their emotional wellbeing using approaches based on play therapy or cognitive behaviour therapy. We also train EPs to work at a systemic level and not only work with learners on an individual basis. Improving the system means that we can support greater numbers of learners than we can through individual case work.

Are current trainees concerned they might not get to do the preventative and early intervention work they have been trained in?

All EP training programmes get far more applicants for course places than they can meet, so when someone does get on the course they are delighted. They are very passionate and idealistic about what they want to do. However, as they embark on their careers, they can find themselves doing a disproportionate amount of statutory work. I heard a story about a recently qualified EP who, in their first-year post-qualification, conducted over fifty statutory assessments. That is certainly not what we train people to solely do.

If you work with children early, and you can put the right support into place and then those needs do not get entrenched.

So, was there a point when having a linked EP was standard?

Yes, and in some areas this is still the case. Services use a formula for how much educational psychology support each school gets. This method is transparent and one which schools could query if necessary. Then the idea of outsourcing or privatising EPs services was introduced as part of austerity measures.  For example, I know of an authority where every service was asked, 'why shouldn't we privatise you?'  and they had to provide a justification for remaining part of the local authority. For some EP services the only way to remain within the local authority, where they could be part of the system and make systemic changes, was to become a traded service. 

This meant that every school had to buy in EPs either from the local authority or individuals, private companies or social enterprises with no, or a very limited amount of EP time, being provided by the local authority.  This also led to a postcode lottery where access to an EP varied because it depended on the schools choosing how much EP time they wanted to purchase and in some cases this could be very little. The problem has been exacerbated because some EPs feel that they can earn more, or have a more flexible work-life balance, by working privately and local authorities are finding it difficult to recruit and retain staff. 

Are there any examples you have seen where having a linked EP has had a really amazing impact?

I have seen colleagues do a lot of effective work in nurseries and in reception. By getting in early, and by putting in place the appropriate support for the development of language or support for children who are neurodiverse or have other complex needs the children will be able to function and thrive within their mainstream classes. Their language will begin to develop. They will have a better understanding of what the school's routine is and make academic progress.

By the time they get to secondary school, because they've had that additional support, whether it's to do with their language, emotions or whether it's to do with literacy or numeracy, you know that they can be happy and continue to learn within their mainstream schools.

In your experience, what is an average wait time for someone to see an EP?

It varies from authority to authority. If you were in an area where you are only doing statutory work, you could wait years. I have heard of cases where people have waited two or three years to see an EP for early level intervention. 

I do not know if I could give an average, but when you are on that wait list, it's like all of us, whether you're waiting for a doctor or any other professional help, you're going to get frustrated.

Then the problems exacerbate and the parents who can afford it will buy EP time privately. The downsides of this are  who is going to get access and issues of equity and social justice because it is only going to be certain people who can afford to pay for an EP.

How does being on a waiting list affect a child's education?

The children with the most significant needs will probably see an EP but it is the children that go under the radar that often do not get support. The children who do not make a fuss or behave badly, are only noticed when they are falling behind. Then you are asked to work with them and realise they're not going to cope in secondary school when problems with attendance can occur. 

What we are about is fair and equal access. We want every child who needs support to be able to access it when they need it. We do not want desperate parents having to make sacrifices to get enough money for private support.

What do you hope the SEND campaign achieves?

There is definitely a demand for people wanting to become EPs, so if we could get more money for training, we could add to the workforce. We particularly need to increase the number of training places for EPs working at a high level to address the complex problems we encounter. We now have high expectations for all our learners, whatever their disability or learning needs are, so you need EPs who have been trained to a high level to help them.

Ultimately, we need more EPs coming in and more flexible approaches to employing EPs within local authorities and letting them use the skills that they have been trained to do. 

Find out more about our campaign to fight for children in the SEND system.