Making our case to Parliament: AEP to appear before inquiry on SEND crisis

On Tuesday 29 April, the Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP) will appear before the House of Commons Education Select Committee as part of its inquiry into solving the SEND crisis in England. Representing more than 4,000 educational psychologists across the UK, we will use this opportunity to highlight the growing pressures on our profession and call for an increase in the number of educational psychologists (EPs) to ensure that children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the support they deserve.

This follows our written submission earlier this year and marks an important opportunity for us to speak directly to policymakers about the systemic issues affecting educational psychologists, schools, and families.

Standing up for our profession – and for children and families
As educational psychologists, we are working at the heart of a system under serious strain. Since 2019, there has been a rise of over 70% in requests for education, health and care plans (EHCPs), putting enormous pressure on local services and limiting our capacity to provide early intervention.

We hear from our members every day about the significant impact this is having—not just on workloads and wellbeing, but on children’s attainment, mental health, and their access to fair and inclusive support.

In this parliamentary session, we will advocate for EPs as essential to delivering effective SEND provision and shine a light on the increasing strain we face as a profession.  Our key message is clear: urgent action is needed so that all children and young people with SEND can access the support they need.

As reflected in our written evidence, we will:

• call for a national workforce strategy to recruit and retain more educational psychologists, so every child can access the support they need
• highlight the need to increase early intervention and reduce the over-reliance on EHCPs by strengthening support within schools
• advocate for stronger SEND training for teaching staff, with EPs being given the capacity to play a key role in delivering continuing professional development
• call for inclusive approaches that reduce the use of exclusion and respond to emotional and mental health needs more effectively
• press for greater transparency and fairness in the SEND system to reduce adversarial processes and improve outcomes for families

A voice for educational psychologists in Parliament
Our members continue to do vital work in extremely challenging circumstances. As the professional body and trade union for educational psychologists, we are proud to take our collective voice into Parliament—to push for a SEND system that prioritises early support, enables all children and young people to thrive, and empowers our workforce to deliver real inclusion.