United Kingdom
Question 2: Approximately how many school/educational psychologists work in your country? Number of educational Psychologists
N.B. Numbers below are mostly estimates.
Answer:
2100, including 300 in Scotland
Question 3: What is the ratio of school/educational Psychologists in your country?
N.B. Numbers below are estimates
Answer:
6500
Question 4: Who are the main employers of school/educational Psychologists?
Answer:
local Education Authorities
Question 5: Are school/educational psychologists represented by any general or specific association or union in your country?
Answer:
- Division of Educational and Child Psychology (England, North. Ireland, Wales)
- Scottish Division of Education and Child psychology
Both are part of the BPS (British Psychological Society)
N.B. Trade union (UK): Association of Educational Psychologists and Educational Institute of Scotland
Question 6: How do school/educational psychologists become trained?
Include details of length of the training period, the additional qualifications and professional experience which are required (e.g. teaching), whether and how your training courses link with other courses of training in professional psychology.
Answer:
England, Wales and Northern Ireland:
- a) honours degree in Psychology (3-4 years)
- b) teacher training (1 year)
- c) at least two years teaching experience
- d) 1 year professional training as an educational psychologist (MA/MEd/MSc)
Scotland
- a) honours degree in Psychology (3-4 years)
- b) two year professional training as an educational psychologist (MA/MEd/MSc)
Question 7: How many universities provide this training for school/educational psychologists?
Answer:
15 Universities offer post-graduate courses in educational psychology
Question 8: What are the employment prospect for newly trained school/educational psychologists?
Answer:
at present vacancies exist all over the UK
Question 9: How many school/educational psychologists are currently unemployed in your country?
Answer:
very few unemployed educational psychologists
Question 10: What are the key tasks that are undertaken by school/educational psychologists?
(e.g. assessment, recommending special provision for children, consultation, counselling…)
Answer:
- assessment of pupils with special ‘ educational needs
- recommending resources and programmes to meet these needs
- monitoring and reviewing the progress made by pupils with special needs
- general advice to teachers on planning and implementing intervention programmes
- providing in-service-training to school staff and other professional groups
- counselling/consultation with parents and other professionals in relation to children’s problems
- conducting small scale research projects
- consultation with schools on organisational development and the development of inclusive practices in education
Question 11: Are school /educational psychologists licensed? Is this a legal rquirement?
Answer:
no legal requirement for psychologists to be registered as Chartered Psychologists although it is impossible to get a job without the appropriate qualifications. The BPS is working for statutory registration of all psychologists
Question 12: What are the current issues facing school / educational psychologists at the present?
Answer:
- increasing pressure to undertake assessment of special educational needs of individual children, leading to exclusion of other important aspects of work. Some psychologists also feel constrained in the way they are expected to carry out their assessments
- the future of training in educational psychology at initial and post-experience level