Educational psychology trainees in Scotland are facing “unprecedented financial challenges” and are “unable to afford basic living expenses”, which is impacting their mental health and causing some to consider dropping out of their course, a new report finds.
The grant that trainee educational psychologists (TEP) receive has remained at the same level since 2018.
One trainee quoted in the report - entitled Towards Equity in Educational Psychology Training: Funding the Future of Our Profession - describes the financial strain as “immense”; another says “life feels bleak” because they are “constantly worried about unexpected costs”.
Access ‘limited to those with significant savings’
One respondent says the upshot is that access to educational psychology is “limited only to those with significant savings” or with “financial support from family or a partner”.
The report, compiled by trainee educational psychologists at the University of Dundee, says that the low level of support “raises questions of equity”.
“There are concerns that TEP training is accessible primarily to those with additional financial backing or savings, limiting diversity and representation within the profession,” it states.
The report is calling for the Scottish government and local authorities to urgently review funding for trainees to ensure it reflects the cost of living.
In 2018, a £15,000 living grant was introduced to support TEPs during their training and help sustain the workforce for local authorities. This grant was intended to cover essential living expenses and travel costs for placements.
Since then, the report says, the cost of goods and services has risen by more than 25 per cent, “meaning that equivalent funding today would need to be over £19,000 to meet the same needs”.
It says the third - and final - year of training is particularly problematic. TEPs are employed by the local authority but “their salary remains £15,000 for a 0.8 [full-time equivalent] position (28 hours per week), which effectively equates to £10.30 per hour”.
They also lose their student status and incur extra costs, such as income tax, national insurance and council tax, which adds “considerable financial pressure during a critical period in their training”.
Each cohort ‘in worse position than the last’
The report concludes that each cohort of TEPs is “in a worse position than the last”, but this does not just have an impact on them - it also has a “substantial” impact on children and families.
“If trainees are struggling to meet their basic needs, impacting their physical, social and mental wellbeing, how can they be expected to provide high-quality support?” it asks.
A Scottish government spokesperson said in partnership with local authority umbrella body, Cosla, the investment for tuition fee support and grants for educational psychology trainees amounted to nearly £2 million per year. Since 2018, when grants were introduced, they said the number of education psychologists starting training had more than doubled.
The spokesperson added: “Most post-graduate students studying other subjects are eligible for a £6,900 living costs loan for the duration of their course. 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. This package equates to £29,000 per student, per annum, for the duration of the three-year training programme.”
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