The Government's pledge to fund ninety graduates to complete an MSc in Educational Psychology between 2018-2021: FOI release

Information requested

In May 2018 the Scottish Government pledged £4 million in funding over 3 years for 90 graduates to complete a MSc in Educational Psychology. The funding from 2018-19 to 2020-21 will include a Scottish government contribution of £2.85 million, including nearly £1.5 million from the Attainment Scotland Fund, and £1.35 million from local authorities.

1. Can you confirm if both Strathclyde University and Dundee University are still both offering MSc places (previously each University did alternate years)?

2. Between 2018 and 2021 how many students graduated with an MSc in Educational Psychology from either Strathclyde or Dundee University?

3. Of the £2.85 million pledged by the Scottish Government, from the Attainment Scotland Fund, for the training of Educational Psychologists, how much money has actually been spent?

Response

The answers to your questions are as follows. Please also note that Financial Years run April-March whilst Academic Years run from September to August.

1. Dundee University are offering an Educational Psychology MSc which attracts Scottish Government grant funding for students.

2. The figures below show numbers of Educational Psychology MSc graduates from Dundee University

2018: 17
2019: 0 – there was no intake in 2017.
2020: 28
2021: 31

3. The breakdown of funding from the Scottish Attainment Challenge for the Educational Psychology training programme is as follows:

Financial Year 2018/19		£714,850
Financial Year 2019/20		£1,454,350
Financial Year 2020/21		£1,236,969
Total		£3,406,169

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. The reasons why we don’t have the information are explained below:

1. The Scottish Government does not hold information on the University of Strathclyde’s Educational Psychology MSc course.

2. As in 1) above, the Scottish Government does not hold this information.

However, you may wish to contact the University of Strathclyde at https://isc.strath.ac.uk/contact who may be able to help you.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.