An entire cohort of trainee educational psychologists in Scotland has shared concerns about the financial hardship they are facing.
In a letter to Tes Scotland, the second-year educational psychologists at the University of Dundee - which offers the only master’s-level route into the profession in Scotland - say they are struggling to make ends meet and call for an increase to the “meagre” bursary they receive.
However, the Scottish government has pointed to the rising number of trainees in recent years as a positive reflection of current arrangements.
The letter from the University of Dundee educational psychologists begins: “We, the current Scottish cohort of educational psychology trainees, are facing financial hardship.
“All of us care deeply about supporting young people, teachers and support staff in Scotland’s schools. All of us have left professional careers to pursue this training and many of us have families to support.
“We currently receive a bursary of £15,000 a year, which will be taxed in our third year of training, meaning we will earn close to the national minimum wage.”
The Dundee trainees have calculated that this now amounts to £12,838 in real terms in 2022, and also point out that many trainees travel long distances on placement and most do not have travel costs reimbursed.
The letter adds: “This meagre bursary is not sufficient to sustain us and the costs we incur and neither does it reflect our experience. Furthermore, it stands in stark contrast to the NHS equivalent for clinical psychology trainees, which starts at £33,072.
“We have raised this issue with our local MSPs and have been directed towards hardship funds for which we are not eligible. [Local authorities’ body] Cosla are also aware of our concerns but have made no changes to the funding arrangements.”
The letter from the trainee educational psychologists concludes: “These financial problems persist, despite recommendations in the Currie report, published in 2002 by the Scottish executive, that, ‘funding should be reviewed regularly to take account of inflation’.
“If the profession is to continue to recruit dedicated and experienced trainees, then we urge Cosla and the Scottish government to urgently overhaul the funding arrangements for educational psychology training.”
In an interview with Tes Scotland in August, Children in Scotland chief executive, Judith Turbyne, called for more investment in professionals who help pupils with additional support needs, including educational psychologists.
She said that they, along with support for learning teachers and speech and language therapists, had seen their numbers fall: in 2021, the Scottish government recorded 383 educational psychologists working in Scotland; in 2010, the figure was 401.
In a response to the concerns raised by the University of Dundee educational psychologists, a Scottish government spokesperson said: “Under HMRC rules, educational psychologist trainees in their third year are liable for tax. Under the limitations of the Scotland Act, the Scottish Parliament is not able to make changes to the scope of taxable income.
“In 2018, the Scottish government and Cosla agreed partnership funding of £4 million to provide tuition-fee support and a living-costs grant for educational psychology trainees. Since funding was introduced, the number of educational psychologists starting training has almost doubled - a total of 52 trainees over 2021 and 2022 compared to a total of 29 over 2016 and 2017.”
The government spokesperson added: “The living-costs grant for educational psychologist trainees, in addition to tuition-fee funding, is not income assessed and does not need to be repaid. Most postgraduate students studying other subjects are only eligible for a £4,500 living-costs loan for the duration of their course.”
The government has also advised that “in year three, due to the balance of work, the grant is liable for tax under HMRC rules”, and that it had been “determined that having trainees become local authority employees was, therefore, the best option”.
