By Dr Andrea Honess, Chair of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Educational and Child Psychology
The government’s Schools White Paper and SEND consultation set out some welcome ambitions for earlier intervention, clearer pathways and more consistent support. But they land in a system already stretched thin, where families and professionals have been calling for meaningful reform for years.
Educational Psychologists (EPs) are vital to making these proposals work, yet the ongoing workforce crisis raises serious questions about whether the reforms can be delivered on the ground.
This guest post by Dr Andrea Honess explores why many EPs generally support the general direction of travel, but why, without sufficient workforce capacity, the proposals risk remaining on paper rather than improving children and young people’s lives.
Recognising the need for systemic SEND changes by Dr Andrea Honess
After many years of sustained calls for improvements to the SEND system from families, professionals and local authorities alike, the publication of the Schools White Paper is a welcome and important moment for us as Educational Psychologists. It signals a clear recognition from government that the current system needs reform and that children and young people with SEND deserve a more consistent, timely and effective response to their needs.
The challenges facing the SEND system are well known. Rising levels of need, increasing pressure on schools and local services and significant variation in provision have placed considerable strain on families and professionals. The government’s proposals demonstrate an ambition to address these issues systematically and to create a more coherent, equitable framework of support. This commitment to reform offers a real opportunity to strengthen outcomes for children and young people.
The role and value of Educational Psychologists
As Educational Psychologists (EPs), we strongly welcome the Schools White Paper and SEND consultation’s emphasis on earlier intervention, clearer pathways of support and improved consistency across the system. These ambitions align closely with our professional values and practice. EPs bring a unique psychological perspective that bridges education, health and care, supporting not only individual children but also the wider systems around them. Central to our role is the creation of psychological safety within schools, families and services, helping adults feel confident, supported and equipped to meet children’s needs in complex and often demanding contexts.
EPs work alongside teachers, parents, senior leaders and other professionals to understand barriers to learning and wellbeing and to develop evidence informed strategies that promote inclusion, resilience and positive outcomes. Our training enables us to translate research into practice, evaluate what is working and adapt provision as needs change over time. In this way, EPs play a critical role in ensuring that reform is effective and sustainable.
Graduated support and the need for clarity
The proposed graduated layers of support within the Schools White Paper and SEND consultation, present a promising framework for ensuring that children receive the right help earlier. To maximise their impact, it will be essential that these new arrangements are underpinned by clarity, strong professional input and robust safeguards. In particular, clear communication about the relationship between Specialist Packages, Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and the proposed Individual Support Plans (ISPs) will be vital in providing reassurance to families and schools. It is crucial that children who currently have EHCPs continue to have their needs met and their support protected as the system evolves.
The success of ISPs will depend heavily on high quality implementation: confident, well-trained teachers, access to specialist expertise and consistent monitoring of standards. EPs are ideally placed to support this work, both at an individual level, group level, and strategically, by advising on needs assessment, intervention planning and outcome evaluation. Our involvement can help ensure that decisions are grounded in psychological understanding and that children’s voices, experiences and wellbeing remain central.
Workforce capacity and the future of the profession
As with any major reform, careful attention must be paid to workforce capacity. The current pressures on the EP workforce are well recognised and addressing recruitment and retention is essential to realising the government’s ambitions. The commitment to increasing the number of EP training places is therefore a welcome and important signal of intent. With sustained investment and strategic workforce planning, there is an opportunity to build a resilient profession that can meet growing demand and support high quality SEND provision nationally.
The proposals have the potential to reduce inconsistency, improve early support and strengthen confidence in the system for families and professionals alike. Educational Psychologists are ready to play a leading role in this next phase of SEND reform, working collaboratively with the Department for Education, local authorities, schools and families. Our plan for the consultation phase is to further study the proposals in detail and consult with our membership about their views.
About the author
Dr Andrea Honess is an Associate Professor and Co-Programme Director for the Doctorate in Educational Psychology at the University of East Anglia.
She is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS), a registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and registered with the European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations (EFPA).
Alongside her role at the University of East Anglia, Andrea practices as a Senior Educational Psychologist for a Local Authority educational psychology service. Dr Honess has written this article in her capacity as Chair of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Educational and Child Psychology.
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This is a very interesting article – thank you. I also believe Specialist Teachers should be at the heart of SEND reform too, and as suggested in the Rose report, there should be one in every school. In fact, the SENCO should be a trained and qualified Specialist Teacher. The NASENCO qualification expected of SENCOs falls short as it offers no SEND training at all!