The Shift Towards Face-to-Face Educational Psychology Assessments and What It Means for EPs
The landscape of Educational Psychology assessment is shifting. Over the past year, Psychology Direct has seen a significant rise in demand for face-to-face assessments from Local Authorities, schools, and families. For Educational Psychologists, understanding this sector-wide change and what’s driving it matters, not just for staying responsive to the needs of children, young people and the Local Authorities you work with, but for planning your own professional practice.
If you’re looking for varied work, collaborative support, and the flexibility to work across different assessment contexts, this shift presents opportunities. Here’s what’s happening in the sector, why it’s happening, and what working with Psychology Direct looks like in 2026.
Understanding the Sector Shift
Remote Educational Psychology assessments became widely adopted during the pandemic out of necessity. They helped Local Authorities manage backlogs, meet statutory timeframes, and continue supporting children and young people when in-person work wasn’t possible. For many LAs, remote assessments became an accepted part of service delivery, particularly for straightforward cases or where families preferred this option.
However, attitudes towards remote work have always varied across Local Authorities. Some embraced it as a permanent addition to their service model. Others viewed it as a temporary solution, with face-to-face remaining the preferred approach where appropriate. What’s changed over the past year is a clear sector-wide push back towards face-to-face as the default.
Why is this happening?
Several factors are driving this shift:
- Complexity of Need
Remote assessments have proven valuable and continue to work exceptionally well for many cases. In some circumstances remote can actually be the more appropriate choice. However, many Local Authorities are finding that certain cases benefit from face-to-face assessments. Particularly when observing behaviour, building rapport with younger children, assessing environmental factors, or working with families who find digital formats challenging.
- Rise in Litigious Cases
We’ve seen an increase in mediations and tribunals across some areas, and these processes are scrutinising assessment methods more closely. Remote assessments can gather the same depth and quality of information as face-to-face work, but attitudes at tribunals can make the method itself a point of scrutiny. For example because the EP didn’t observe the child in the classroom setting – regardless of whether that observation would have changed the conclusions. LAs are responding to this by increasingly requesting face-to-face assessments, not because of quality concerns but to reduce any potential challenges.
- Moving Beyond Pandemic-Era Adaptations
Now pandemic pressures have eased, Local Authorities are re-evaluating what “business as usual” looks like. For many, this means returning to face-to-face as standard practice, with remote used selectively when triaging assessments.
- School and Family Preferences
We’re regularly hearing positive feedback from parents and schools after remote assessments, with many expressing how pleased they were with the process. However, we’re also hearing from schools and families who prefer face-to-face assessments, because they perceive face-to-face as the ‘gold standard’. For some, this preference is about wanting the EP to be physically present in the child’s learning environment. Both approaches can deliver excellent outcomes; the preference often comes down to perception and what feels most reassuring to the people involved.
What Hasn’t Changed
It’s important to acknowledge what this shift doesn’t mean.
The thousands of remote assessments completed by Educational Psychologists over recent years have been of high quality. EPs have demonstrated professionalism, adaptability, and expertise in delivering excellent outcomes for children and young people through remote formats. This isn’t a question of quality, it’s about sector expectations evolving and Local Authorities adapting their service models accordingly.
Triage has always been part of good practice. Cases where remote isn’t appropriate have always been identified and managed differently. What’s changed is the volume of face-to-face requests and the expectation that this is now the primary mode of delivery for most LAs.
Why Work with Psychology Direct?
At Psychology Direct, we work with Local Authorities and Multi-Academy Trusts across the UK, providing Educational Psychology services that meet diverse needs. Our EPs work on a range of cases, from statutory EHCP assessments to consultation work, SEND provision development, and staff training.
Here’s what working with us looks like:
Our Values
At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to supporting families, children, and young people. We believe in working together, valuing the professionalism you bring, and creating conditions where quality practice can thrive. Our aim isn’t just to fill assessment slots, it’s to build a network of EPs who feel supported, respected, and able to do their best work.
Supportive and Collaborative Team
You’re not working in isolation. Our Education Coordinators manage the logistics, communication with LAs, and administrative details so you can focus on the psychology. When you need support with a complex case, our Senior Educational Psychologists are available for consultation and guidance.
Varied Work Across Multiple Local Authorities
We work with numerous Local Authorities, which means you’re not tied to one LA’s approach or client group. You’ll encounter different SEND frameworks, varying levels of resource, and diverse populations of children and young people. This variety keeps the work interesting and helps you develop breadth as a practitioner.
CPD and Professional Development
We host CPD sessions led by our Senior Educational Psychologists and guest experts, covering a range of topics and we produce a podcast series exploring topics relevant to Educational Psychology practice. These sessions are designed to be practical and relevant to the work you’re doing.
Recent CPD topics have included, supporting gender-diverse youth in educational settings and allyship and the bystander effect in schools. Our podcast, “In the Pod, In Conversation With” has featured conversations on setting up in private practice, understanding the post-infectious medical conditions PANS and PANDAS, and a discussion on The Psychological Complex in Contemporary Education Policy with co-authors on the paper Sarah Gillborn and Thomas Delahunty.
Flexibility
We understand that EPs have different working patterns, preferences and lives outside of work. Whether you’re managing caring responsibilities, working across multiple roles, or simply want work that fits around your commitments rather than dictating them, we aim to match opportunities with what works for you. We’re interested in building long-term working relationships, which means understanding what you need at different stages of your life and career.
We’re Always Looking for Face-to-Face EPs
If you’re an Educational Psychologist registered with the HCPC and able to conduct face-to-face assessments, we’d love to hear from you.
We’re particularly looking for EPs who:
- Can travel to schools, homes, or hubs for in-person assessments
- Are comfortable working across multiple Local Authorities with varying approaches
- Value collaborative working and ongoing professional development
- Bring a child-centred, evidence-based approach to their practice
Get in touch: If this sounds like a good fit, contact our Education Team Manager Katie on kseverin@psychologydirect.co.uk to discuss opportunities.
