Educational Psychologist (Project)

Business Case for Contract Extension

The SEN Service is a statutory service that assesses, issues and reviews Education, Health and Care plans for children and young people who have Special Educational Needs and who require levels of support beyond what their schools/educational settings receive from central government. The SEN Service will be inspected again by OFSTED under the new SEND-AP Inspection Framework within the next 12 months. Building on existing good practice, the Local Authority must ensure that it is in the best position to meet current and future demand and need in SEN, as well as continue to drive and evidence good work within the Local Area when inspected.
However, over the last year there has been a significant increase in the number of requests for assessment (for an EHCP) have been received, and a corresponding increase in the number of EHCPs issued, and therefore an increase in the total number of EHCPs which the Local Authority is responsible for.
There has been significant increase in the number of new requests for EHCNA seen in recent years:
· A 25% increase, 2021 against 2022 (calendar).
· A 35% increase, 2022 against 2021 (calendar).
· A 100% increase (doubling) for the 2022/23 academic year, compared to the 2020/21 academic year.
· The Local Authority currently receives between 90-110 requests for an EHCP each month. As a snapshot, there were 39 requests for assessment in June 2021, 64 in June 2022, and 90 in June 2023.
· At the time of writing (August 2023) it has received 778 requests for the 2022/23 academic year (September 2022 – July 2023); last academic year it received 555 in the same period.
In one year, the number of EHCPs issued by Tower Hamlets has increased from 400 in the 2021/22 academic year, to 700 in the 2022/23 academic year.
The total number of EHCPs for which the LA is responsible for has risen from 3257 (January 2021), to 3464 (January 2022), to 4111 (January 2023), to 4371 (July 2023), a 34% increase in 2 ½ years. It is expected that by the end of the 2023/24 financial year – by Easter 2024 – the Local Authority will be responsible for between 4750-5000 EHCPs.
This contract extension is to meet the increase in demand for statutory SEN services and to maintain the pace of improvement within SEN.

We need qualified educational psychologists to complete statutory assessments.
These are Face to Face, within IR35 and pay £630 per day (2 days per assessment).