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October blog from AEP General Secretary, Cath Lowther reflecting on the power of language and the words we say (and don't say).

Members of the Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP) in England and Wales have voted decisively in favour of taking industrial action and employers have responded with a revised pay offer, received today.

I am particularly struck by the idea that the future is the creation of ‘what you do now’. Now being a word that I used within my election statement and the word I am going to bring to the fore again. Now is the time that members are invited to stand for election on our National Executive Committee (NEC). That time came for me in 2018, when I stood for a 'general member' seat.

In 2019, the Department for Education (DfE) published research around the EP workforce which showed that most EPs were then working in local authorities, that they were satisfied working in local authorities, but that there were still too few EPs to recruit to local authorities. This instigated a welcome increase to the funded places available for new EPs to train.

The Department for Education has published a much anticipated research report into the system, practice and reported impact of educational psychology services in England. The report was commissioned by the DfE and undertaken by researchers at the Warwick Institute of Employment Research and Ecorys.

The right to strike is ‘a fundamental one enshrined in international human rights and labour law, and its protection is necessary in ensuring just, stable and democratic societies.’

Following discussion by the National Executive Committee (NEC) on Saturday 20 May, the AEP will hold a formal ballot on whether to take industrial action over the 2022 Soulbury pay offer. This decision has been made following an indicative ballot in which 80% of respondents said yes to taking industrial action. 

Mental health is commonly understood as an internal process. Subjectively, we experience both poor mental health and good mental health as something happening inside us because we can directly feel the effects. During a period of poor mental health, we might feel tired, anxious and find it hard to concentrate. During a period of good mental health, we might experience happiness or inner peace.