Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 66
66
Accepted
Shortages of educational psychologists and allied health professionals undermine quality of SEND support
Conclusion
Shortages of educational psychologists and allied health professionals, including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, and physiotherapists are significantly undermining the availability and quality of SEND support. These workforce gaps delay assessments, restrict access to essential interventions, and place additional pressure on schools and multi- academy trusts to fill specialist roles they are not equipped to provide. In addition, the shortages have resulted in far too many highly skilled professionals being deployed predominantly in undertaking assessments and writing reports rather than working directly and therapeutically with children and young people. This has to change, for the benefit of professionals who are becoming harder to retain, and in order to deliver a genuinely inclusive system in which access to support is available for every child who needs it. (Conclusion, Paragraph 239)
Government Response Summary
The government is investing over £31 million to train 600 more educational psychologists by 2025, promoting degree apprenticeships for speech and language therapists, and working to improve access and effective deployment of allied health professionals.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Department is working closely with DHSC and NHS England to improve access to community health services, such as speech and language therapy, for children and young people with SEND. As set out in the 10 Year Health Plan for England, building on the successes of programmes such as Early Speech and Language for Every Child, we will ensure that education and healthcare providers work together with other local services to plan and deliver evidence-based early interventions for children. We will focus on ensuring allied health professionals, such as speech and language or occupational therapists, who are vital for supporting children and young people with SEND, are more effectively deployed spending time supporting children not on bureaucracy and admin. In addition to the undergraduate degree route, speech and language therapists can now also train via a degree apprenticeship. This route is going into its fourth year of delivery and offers an alternative pathway to the traditional degree route into a successful career as a speech and language therapist. Educational psychologists also play a critical role in the support available to children and young people, including those with SEND. The Department is already investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists over two cohorts starting their studies in 2024 and 2025. This is in addition to the £10 million being invested in the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.