SEND Reform on Hold: How Educational Psychologists Are Shaping the Future of Inclusive Education

In this blog, you will learn:

• About the impact of the delayed school white paper and SEND reform on Educational Psychologists and the wider education sector.
• Insights from Specialist Educational Psychologists on the challenges facing the profession and strategies to strengthen future services.
• Ways to improve the recruitment and retention of Educational Psychologists.
• How to find and apply for the best Educational Psychologist jobs.

With news that the long-awaited school white paper has been delayed and any meaningful SEND reform now pushed back until 2026, we are exploring what this means for the education sector.

Originally expected in autumn 2025, the white paper is set to address growing concerns around the rising number of Education, Health and Care (EHCP) plans and the funding pressures facing those working with children and young people with SEND, including Educational Psychologists.

Educational Psychologists play a central role in implementing the policies outlined in a white paper, particularly those relating to improving learning experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

To understand the challenges currently facing educational psychology services and what needs to change, we spoke with Chartered and Specialist Educational Psychologist Ali.

With nearly 25 years' experience across education and local authority settings, Ali shares her perspective on the future of the profession, the barriers to effective support, and the steps needed to attract and retain more Educational Psychologists.

How have your experiences strengthened your belief in inclusive education?

After qualifying as an Educational Psychologist, I worked for the EANI (Education Authority across Northern Ireland) for 13 years. In 2018, I took an Educational Psychologist role with a local authority in the southeast of England.

Until I moved back to England, it never occurred to me that things could be so different elsewhere in the UK. Since arriving back in England, I have come across many wonderful, welcoming and inspiring schools that use incredibly creative strategies to include and support all of their pupils. I have also found too many schools that use exclusionary methods against students who do not fit their strict expectations.

These experiences led me to apply for the role of Specialist Educational Psychologist for Inclusion and Belonging when the opportunity arose in 2023. Also during this time, my own daughter, who had a very difficult time in her first secondary school, reached a crisis point which led to Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA).

After 7 months on a waiting list, she moved to a different secondary school, which emphasises and focuses on inclusion, and where she felt safe and welcomed. In less than a year, she was back to almost full school attendance, working hard towards her GCSEs and planning for her future.

For my daughter and our family, the school environment changed everything. Inclusion, relationships and belonging at school matter. It can make or break lives and our family is living proof of that.

In what ways does your work intersect with wider issues such as mental health, safeguarding or community wellbeing?

Inclusion involves a range of interconnected factors that shape young people's experiences in school. Educational Psychologists aim to understand how school, community and relationships interact to influence students' wellbeing, behaviour, learning and engagement. We use this information to support positive change.

Positive school experiences and strong relationships can promote attendance, provide early safeguarding opportunities and enhance wellbeing and resilience. They can also reduce the risk of seeking belonging in unsafe groups. 

Inclusive schools commonly coordinate policies on safeguarding, inclusion, wellbeing and behaviour. They encourage collaboration across specialisms within the school and with pupils, parents/carers, the whole staff group and the local community.

Key to this is building genuine relationships, where staff listen and support pupils’ autonomy. While schools can’t resolve external issues for students, they can create a safe, inclusive environment that offers all pupils a sense of hope and belonging.

What practical steps do you think could help attract and retain more Educational Psychologists right now?

To improve recruitment and retention, we need effective systems where Educational Psychologists feel empowered to make a real difference for children and young people.

For the majority of us, that’s ultimately the reason why we entered the profession and it’s what we want to do. This involves stepping back from the constant Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) demand.

It also means moving away from ineffective systems that harm children, young people, their families, the wider community, schools and local authorities.

It seems to me that the educational psychology services that are bucking the trend by increasing recruitment and retention are those that put their team’s inclusion and belonging first. They seem to attract Educational Psychologists and encourage them to stay.

If you could influence one policy or funding change, what would it be and why?

I’d really like to see the school system rebuilt from the ground up, rather than tweaked at the edges. That includes rethinking everything from the structure of school buildings to the curriculum, school uniforms, and staff training, to outdoor learning, the sensory environment and access to the arts.

I’d love to see all these things developed around the evidence of what helps children and young people to thrive, rather than aiming to meet international league tables or focusing on outdated Victorian values.

If I had to choose just one change, it would be mandatory, ongoing relational inclusion training not offered in the Educational Psychology Funding Training Scheme (EPFT). There needs to be training for all staff, policymakers and trainees to foster strong relationships and genuine belonging for every pupil and member of the school community. 

If we really want all our children and young people to feel a sense of belonging and to thrive at school, inclusion needs to be everyone’s responsibility all of the time. This would mean training everyone, from teaching staff, senior leadership teams, and governors to academy trust executives, cleaning staff and caretakers.

True inclusion cannot be achieved if left solely in the hands of one or two inclusion leads in the school. That means actively working to build trust with students and parents/carers as well as staff members, parents/carers and the community. 

How has provision changed over the past 12 months and where do you see it heading in the future?

Over the past year, there has been little procedural change as everyone awaits the Department for Education’s SEND Review. Unfortunately, the limited details released to date have caused concern that children and young people with additional needs may be about to lose their right to apply for an EHCP and with it, their statutory right to support at school.

Understandably, worried parents, carers and school staff alike are now trying to get ahead of any changes, and this has resulted in a surge in requests for EHCPs, thereby increasing pressure on already strained educational psychology services and local authorities.

The future direction remains uncertain until the SEND Review is published, but the current system is clearly unsustainable. Recent announcements indicate that mainstream schools will be expected to create specialist SEN units, resource provisions and pupil support units to better serve students with additional needs and those at risk of exclusion.

Educational Psychologists are well-placed to help establish these provisions, train staff in inclusive and trauma-informed practice and enhance staff confidence and self-efficacy. I do think that safeguards will be necessary to ensure these interventions promote true inclusion rather than inadvertently creating a new form of segregation for the very children and young people they are meant to protect.

Educational Psychologists can facilitate collaborative work with schools, helping them use frameworks like the BASE Model to embed ongoing inclusive practice across all parts of the school community.

What’s your vision for a thriving, future-ready educational psychology service?

My vision for a thriving Educational Psychology Service (EPS) is a team united by clear values that shape its organisational culture. The EPS would prioritise people, wellbeing, community and belonging, drawing on positive psychology to foster hope and future-thinking. These principles would be actively developed among all team members and those who work with them to enable them to use, model and promote these skills.

To be future-ready, the EPS needs to be actively involved in preventative and early intervention work and promote inclusive, relational practices across schools.

Team members would use their psychological expertise and experience at all levels of the school system to make schools feel safe and welcoming for all. This would facilitate co-production to create a culture where all voices feel genuinely heard and taken into consideration in the ongoing development of policy, practice and procedure.

Everyone would have opportunities to build strong relationships with schools so that they could provide bespoke and dynamic support to them.

The service would also provide frequent opportunities for staff to extend their skills and knowledge so that they not only support the individual child but also promote flourishing across the whole school community. They would take their psychological knowledge and understanding of child development beyond the school gates and into the wider community.

In doing these things, Educational Psychologists would be actively helping to break down the barriers to participation for all pupils, particularly the most vulnerable and marginalised, thereby promoting equity and social justice.

Educational Psychologist jobs

If you’re searching for your next Educational Psychologist job, why not take a look at the latest vacancies, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant position becomes available.  

Struggling to recruit Educational Psychologists?

As specialist local authority SEND recruiters, we support local authorities nationwide with their temporary, interim and permanent staffing needs. 

If you’re struggling to recruit, we have exclusive access to some of the most experienced interim Educational Psychologists in the UK.

Simply contact Natalie Boaler on 01772 954200 to discover how we can help.

Share your experience

Every individual brings a unique set of experiences, thoughts, and insights to the table. We believe in giving a voice to a community of professionals to inspire positive change and champion reform in the healthcare sector.  

If you work in the healthcare sector and would like to share your own personal and professional experiences, we’d love to hear from you. Perhaps you have a different perspective, could offer a fresh angle, or want to challenge assumptions. 

Simply reach out to our Head of Content, Nicole Sherwood, to discuss a collaboration which makes your voice count. 

Who is Spencer Clarke Group?

Established in 2017, we’re an award winning and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West. Our reputation is built on trust, expertise and an unwavering commitment to exceed expectations. 

In 2025, Spencer Clarke Group was awarded Best Public/Third Sector Recruitment Agency and Best Temporary Recruitment Agency at the Recruiter Awards. In 2024, Spencer Clarke Group was also named Recruitment Agency of the Year.