Delivery of the government’s new “experts at hand” SEND support service is “at risk” because of a chronic shortage of educational psychologists, an influential think tank has warned. Pupils in some areas are 20 times less likely to get support from an educational psychologist, the , prompting calls for government to boost funding and training. It comes a day after the government set out further details on its plans to create a new “experts at hand” service, which is supposed to improve access to external support for mainstream schools from staff like educational psychologists. James Zuccollo, the EPI’s director for school workforce, said: “This report highlights a stark reality: we cannot deliver the government’s goal of inclusive mainstream education while the educational psychologist workforce remains critically under-resourced. “The £1.8 billion ‘experts at hand’ programme provides a welcome framework, but its sufficiency is entirely dependent on a stable EP pipeline. “Given the length of specialist training required, the government’s three-year delivery timeline is at risk without additional investment to reach adequate staffing levels.” ‘Stark disparity’ EPI’s report warned of a “stark disparity in levels of EP provision”, with estimates showing some areas have one professional per 480 pupils, while others have just one for every 9,400. The EPI found the 20-fold disparity in access was driven by a “substantial national shortage. “Without urgent capacity expansion, the sector faces a cycle of attrition, rising costs, and an inability to deliver on the government’s goal of including more children with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream schools.” The think tank said its findings indicated there was “currently no accurate count of the total EP workforce and that there are no evidence-based benchmarks for adequate staffing”. It analysed administrative data and case studies from six councils. It found official data undercounted the workforce by “about a third”, and missed around 1,300 full-time professionals working in traded services, academy trusts and private practice. However, “this hidden workforce is not evenly distributed to plug gaps in deprived areas”. The EPI estimated that bringing the 96 councils with below-benchmark staffing up to the right level would require an estimated extra 1,400 full-time educational psychologists, a 40 per cent rise. Current funding not adequate The cost of £140 million a year would be a “modest investment relative to the wider costs of a failing SEND system”. At present, the government funds just over 200 training places. But last year, the scheme had more than 1,765 applications. “Continuing to fund training for only 200 EPs each year will not be enough to adequately support children’s needs,” said Zuccollo. “A relatively modest investment of around £140 million would allow EPs to work more effectively to improve outcomes and break the cycle of burnout and attrition that currently threatens the service.” Schools minister Georgia Gould previously made a rallying cry for expert SEND professionals who quite their jobs to return and staff the new service. She said the government expected the scheme would involved 7,500 more experts. Dr Andrea Honess, chair of the British Psychological Society’s division of educational and child psychology, said: “Rising demand, combined with a workforce shortage, has created a combination of pressures that have left gaps in provision and many local authorities struggling to keep up. “The government’s proposals set out in the schools white paper 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, but we can only be effective if there are enough of us in the system to provide the vital support required.”