A strong start – and looking ahead together: a message from AEP General Secretary, Donna

19/12/2025

As the year draws to a close, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what has been a really busy and positive start to my role as General Secretary. I’m almost at the end of my first term, and I’m already looking forward to building on this momentum in 2026.

Over the past year I’ve had the opportunity to travel widely, visiting Belfast, Brighton, Durham, London and Quorn. Meeting members and colleagues across the country has been a real highlight, and in 2026 I’m aiming to have visited all four nations.

I’ve also had the privilege of engaging with many inspiring people from our profession and the wider trade union movement, as well as key stakeholders across education, politics and local government. Highlights for me have included taking part in the GFTU leadership course, engaging with the Education Select Committee, working with the DfE and course directors to secure the future of EP training, collating members’ views to respond to consultations, negotiating with the Soulbury Committee, and seeing our motion carried at TUC Congress. Most importantly, I’ve had the chance to meet so many of you, which is without doubt the best part of the role.

I would also like to take this opportunity to recognise the outstanding work of our staff team, who ensure the organisation runs smoothly for all our members every day. This year we processed 1,765 applications for EP training - our highest number to date, with applicants receiving a high level of care and efficiency at every stage.

A huge amount of work also went into delivering another successful annual conference, with over 300 members attending. My sincere thanks to staff, the NEC, presenters and keynote speakers for your energy, expertise and commitment. We also continue to deliver a fortnightly webinar programme across a huge range of topics to support all members and allow for members to share their amazing expertise.

Staff have also worked hard to train and support new local reps and we are very grateful to all our reps across the UK for their ongoing dedication. Our employment team and our reps have, as ever, supported hundreds of members with employment and professional issues across the nations and in all types of practice.

As we move into 2026, our focus as an association will be firmly on action. We are reviewing our strategic plan to ensure it enables us to achieve the best possible outcomes for members, and for the children and young people we support. Issues raised at recent AGMs remain a priority, including supporting members to practise ethically and effectively as AI continues to develop at pace. We will maintain our commitment to environmental sustainability, promoting inclusion, and campaigning to protect children and young people; including our ongoing call to end physical violence against children in law.

The conversation around special educational needs continues to dominate the policy landscape. We are using your excellent work to showcase best-practice EP activity through case studies, and we are anticipating the publication of the White Paper in January. We hope to continue positive engagement with government, alongside a clear commitment to train more EPs to meet the growing needs of communities.

Finally, I would like to thank our outgoing NEC members for their hard work and commitment, and to warmly welcome new members of the committee. I would also like to thank Stephanie James for her dedication to our journal, Educational Psychology in Practice, and to welcome Cathy Atkinson to her new role.

I wish you all a restful and peaceful break, however you choose to spend it, and I look forward to working alongside you in 2026 with hope - and sparkle!