The number of educational psychologists in classrooms has fallen by 10 per cent in three years, to 370 in 2015 from 411 in 2012, according to figures released earlier this term. During the same period, more than 20,000 extra pupils have been identified with ASN – 153,190 in 2015, up from 131,621.
The decline has been attributed to the Scottish government’s axing in 2012 of the bursary received by trainee educational psychologists. Since then students have had to fund the whole £18,000 cost of university tuition themselves, on top of living expenses for the two-year postgraduate course.
Bill O’Hara, principal educational psychologist for Aberdeen City Council, raised the issue with Mr Swinney at the recent Scottish Learning Festival in Glasgow.
Register now, read forever
Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.
What's included:
-
Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast
-
New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday
Already have an account? Sign in here