Local Authority vs Private Educational Psychologist: A Parent's Comparison

Public and private routes compared

What the public route includes

Kent educational psychology is not available only after an EHC needs assessment is agreed. Its School Based Reviews guidance describes school consultation with an EP. Ask the SENCO how advice is accessed locally, how your views are included and how school will tell you about the resulting actions. This does not promise an individual appointment or a particular waiting time.

For an EHC needs assessment in England, Regulation 6 requires psychological advice from an educational psychologist. Where sufficient advice already exists, Regulation 6(4) provides that fresh advice must not be sought if its author, the authority and the parent or young person all consider it sufficient. A statutory assessment therefore does not invariably mean a new round of tests.

If the authority refuses to assess, do not assume you must buy a private report to challenge that decision. Ask Information, Advice and Support Kent or IPSEA about the decision, existing evidence and appeal route. Our appeal guide explains the starting points. Medway has separate local arrangements.

What paying privately changes

Private commissioning lets you agree a piece of work with a provider, subject to their competence, availability and terms. It does not give you control over their professional conclusions, guarantee access to school, or guarantee acceptance of a report for every purpose.

Before booking, specify what you need to understand and ask whether existing information is enough. Examples of questions to discuss include how a child accesses learning, what makes a particular activity difficult, or which support should be tried and reviewed. The assessor should decide which methods are appropriate; not every question requires a full cognitive assessment.

Our EP cost guide has a published fee example and an itemised quote checklist. It also explains why legal-aid or grant funding needs approval before work is commissioned. We do not have evidence for a universal £800–£2,000 fee range.

Independence means an honest opinion

HMCTS guidance for SEND Tribunal witnesses requires fair, impartial and independent evidence even if a witness is employed or paid by one side. Do not assume a local-authority EP will minimise needs or a privately paid EP will support a particular placement. Both should explain the basis and limits of their opinion.

If a report seems incomplete, identify the particular missing issue or factual error. “This report does not explain how the observed difficulty affects lessons” is a more useful concern to raise than “the report is too short”. A short, focused report and a longer assessment may have different purposes.

Ask an adviser what evidence the particular appeal needs and follow its directions. Do not rely on national tribunal statistics as evidence that buying an EP report improves an individual family's prospects.

A practical way to decide

1. Gather what exists. List school support records, reports and your child's views. Note what each already answers.
2. Define the gap. Write down the question still unanswered. Avoid starting with a particular test, number of support hours or desired conclusion.
3. Check the public route. Ask school or the authority what advice is planned and when you should hear back. Keep a record of the response.
4. Check the deadline. If a review or appeal is involved, seek timely advice about evidence and directions. Do not wait for a private appointment while assuming a legal deadline has stopped.
5. Compare the proposed work. Ask a practice how it would address the gap, what will be delivered, its limitations and the full fee.

Fictional example: “School and home describe different levels of difficulty with written tasks. Please explain how you would explore that difference and advise on support.” This is a question for discussion, not evidence that any particular child has a difficulty.

Checks for either route

Educational psychologist is a protected professional title. Check the named person's registration and relevant modality on the HCPC register. BPS chartered status is separate; do not assume all registered EPs have an identical qualification history.

• How will the child communicate their views and access the activities?
• Why is each assessment or observation proposed, and what happens if it is unsuitable or distressing?
• How will family, school and other relevant evidence be considered?
• How will recommendations be explained, put into practice and reviewed?
• Who receives the report, what may be shared and how can factual errors be corrected?
• What are the complaints and safeguarding arrangements?

Share relevant records securely and agree information sharing. Paying for a report does not remove confidentiality, data protection or tribunal disclosure requirements; do not assume that a report is simply yours to use without limits.

Your next step

If you need to understand the role, read what an EP does. For an EHCP concern, start with the assessment guide or Section F checks and free SEND advice. If you decide to enquire privately, the directory can help you find contact routes; it does not endorse a provider or predict outcomes.

Editorial correction: 22 September 2026. Removed unsupported comparisons of private and public report quality, duration, ownership and tribunal influence. Clarified the education route, existing-advice exception and practical choices. This is general information and has not received qualified legal or educational psychology sign-off. How we check guides.