Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to help ensure educational psychologists' pay is increased in line with inflation; what steps her Department is taking to help ensure local councils recruit and retain sufficient numbers of educational psychologists to support children with special educational needs and disabilities; and if she will take steps to help ensure that the pay of public sector jobs relating to her Department's remit is increased in line with inflation.

In November 2022, the department announced an investment of £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists. The first cohort of trainees will start their courses in 2024, graduate and enter the workforce in 2027, continuing the supply of educational psychologists into local authorities. This is in addition to £10 million announced earlier this year, which will train over 200 more educational psychologists beginning their courses in September 2023, and graduate and enter the local authority workforce in 2026.

The specific employment terms for educational psychologists, including pay, are governed by the education psychologist’s contract of employment with their employer.

The department recognises the concern faced by educational psychologists in the context of cost of living challenges.

The government has announced further support for next year designed to target the most vulnerable households, providing them with £12 billion direct support in 2023/24.This is on top of the £37 billion of cost of living support provided by the Government this year, including help for workers to keep more of what they earn through changes to the personal tax system and providing eligible households with a £400 discount on their energy bill this autumn and winter.