Department for Education Warns New ‘Experts at Hand’ Won’t Arrive Soon Enough

In this blog, you will learn:

• What the ‘Experts at Hand’ programme is.
• Why the ‘Experts at Hand’ programme might not be ready in time, according to the Department for Education.
• How to find and apply for the best SEND jobs.

Since the Schools White Paper was published in February 2026, professionals, experts and parents have been analysing each page to determine how these proposals will translate into reality. 

The ‘Experts at Hand’ programme introduced in the Schools White Paper aims to provide schools with a bank of specialist experts they can call upon when needed. These specialists include Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and SEND-trained Teachers. Schools will be able to access these services regardless of whether students have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

The ‘Experts at Hand’ programme is expected to be fully operational by 2028; however, there are concerns about the timing and implementation of the initiative. So, why are concerns growing over the ‘Experts at Hand’ programme and what is potentially preventing it from arriving on time?

In this blog, we explore why the ‘Experts at Hand’ programme may struggle to be delivered at the pace required to support children with SEND.

Why might the ‘Experts at Hand’ programme not arrive soon enough?

Reasons why the ‘Experts at Hand’ programme might not arrive soon enough include:

• Ongoing workforce shortages despite strong interest in training.
• Existing workforce pressures and rising complexity of SEND needs.
• Not enough time to qualify and train professionals.
• Uncertainty over how funding will be allocated and delivered.

Ongoing workforce shortages despite strong interest in training

In the Schools White Paper, the government pledged to invest more than £40 million over 3 years to expand the educational psychology and speech and language therapy workforces, tackle long-standing staff shortages, and reduce waiting times.

The ‘Experts at Hand’ programme involves training over 200 additional Educational Psychologists per year from 2026 and 2027, with further investment to train more over the following 3 years.

The programme aims to help address the shortage and growing demand for Educational Psychologists, ensuring schools can access professional support when needed.

James Zuccollo, Director for School Workforce at the Education Policy Institute, said, “There are severe shortages nationally, with provision varying enormously across local authorities and the pipeline of applicants is strong.”

While schools would benefit from more Educational Psychologists and Occupational Therapists taking a larger role in supporting children with SEND, plugging current gaps in provision will be challenging. The scale of workforce shortages across the system means many areas continue to lack sufficient specialist support.

According to Zuccollo, “Far more people want to train as Educational Psychologists than there are funded places available.” 

Plugging gaps in provision will likely be challenging given the limited number of funded Educational Psychologist training places and the scale of existing workforce constraints. Despite training new Educational Psychologists, addressing long-standing workforce shortages with newly trained professionals will take time, meaning demand is likely to continue.

Existing workforce pressures and rising complexity of SEND needs

The ‘Experts at Hand’ programme is expected to be fully operational by 2028; however, schools and local authorities are already under severe financial strain and struggling to meet current demand.

According to James Zuccollo, in the interim, the ‘Experts at Hand’ service will need to rely on a “profession that is already severely stretched.”

Like many healthcare professionals, Educational Psychologists and Occupational Therapists are under sustained pressure due to higher demand and greater complexity of need. 

The most recent RCOT workforce survey found that 86% of respondents said the demand for occupational therapy services have been increasing over the previous year. 63% said the profession could not deliver the level or type of support children and young people need.

The ‘Experts at Hand’ programme is expected to significantly increase the workload and demand on specialists by offering early intervention and preventative support. While this aims to reduce long-term pressure, it requires an expansion of services that current workforces may struggle to meet.

Tom Campbell, CEO of E-ACT, said there were “legitimate questions about whether local authorities, already under severe financial strain, can commission and deploy this service at the pace children need.”

Not enough time to qualify and train enough professionals

The Schools White Paper promises to commit to training more than 200 additional Educational Psychologists per year in 2026 and 2027, with extra investment to train more over the following 3 years.

While plans to build the workforce and supply schools with a bank of specialists are welcome, some don’t think the time frame of the ‘Experts at Hand’ programme is achievable or realistic.

James Zuccollo, said, “Training an Educational Psychologist requires a 3-year doctorate; those who begin in September 2026 will not qualify until 2029. The ‘Experts at Hand’ service is expected to be fully operational by 2028, well before any additional trainees will have entered the workforce.”

Derek Munn, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists, said, “We also have a situation where the children’s waiting list for community speech and language therapy in England in December 2025 was more than 63,000 children, with more than 5,000 having been waiting for a year.”

Local area partnerships will be expected to set out, in their local SEND reform plan proposals, plans for timely access to health and education professionals.

The initiative's ability to meet demand for the roles in ‘Experts at Hand’ may be limited by whether it delivers as planned and whether the available workforce aligns with the proposal.

Simon Rose, CEO of the 36-academy David Ross Education Trust, said, “There are serious doubts about whether local authorities can recruit and deploy specialist expertise at the speed children need.”

Uncertainty over how funding will be allocated and delivered

The 'Experts at Hand' programme is designed to significantly increase the number of specialist professionals working in mainstream education settings. 

National bodies representing professions that will be part of the ‘Experts at Hand’ service have supported the scheme in principle but want more clarity on how funds will be allocated.

According to Karin Orman, Director of Practice and Innovation at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT), the government plans to offer the chance to ‘rebalance’ occupational therapy towards earlier intervention, but only if this is ‘properly resourced.’

Karin Orman added, “The commitment of £1.8 billion for experts on hand is positive, but we need clarity on how and where this investment will be allocated. The impact of the reforms will depend on whether the funding reaches the frontline teams expected to deliver them.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said that the ‘Experts at Hand’ funding would be allocated based on local need, as children’s needs are “not identical across the country.”

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