Soulbury officers pay and workforce: Survey of councils, July 2024

Background

This research report examines the findings of the Soulbury pay and workforce survey 2024 which was conducted in June-September-May 2024. Information was gathered for educational improvement professionals (EIMP), educational psychologists (EP) and young people’s/community service managers (YPCSM). The information collected related to pay and grading, working status, vacancies, workforce characteristics, and recruitment difficulties. Responses were received from 82 out of 175 local authorities in England and Wales, a response rate of 47 per cent. The main findings are summarised below.

Key findings

Workforce size

• The survey estimates a total workforce of 2,154 full-time equivalent EIMPs, 2,238 EPs and 292 YPCSMs.
• Almost one in ten (8.1 per cent) of EIMP posts were vacant, compared to 17.2 per cent of EP posts; no YPCSM vacancies were recorded.

Workforce characteristics

• A large majority (83 per cent of EIMPs, 86 per cent of EPs and 73 per cent of YPCSMs) were female.
• Over nine out of ten (92 per cent of EIMPs, 86 per cent of EPs and 73 per cent of YPCSMs) were white.
• On average, EIMPs were aged 50, EPs were aged 43 and YPCSMs were aged 48.

Pay

• The average annual salary was £59,851 for EIMPs, £56,759 for EPs, and £54,073 for YPCSMs.
• Almost a third (32 per cent) of EIMPs and 42 per cent of EPs were paid structured professional assessment (SPA) points.
• The total paybill for EIMPs was £128.9 million, that of EPs was £127.0 million, and that of YPCSMs was £16.7 million.
   

In June to July 2024, the LGA distributed a survey to all councils in England and Wales which employed Soulbury officers, a special category of the local government workforce which includes a range of related roles in education and young people’s services. The aim of the survey was to collect information related to pay and grading, working status, vacancies, workforce characteristics, and recruitment difficulties for these officers.

The LGA Research and Information Team distributed a survey by email to the 175 councils in England and Wales with responsibility for education and children’s services, including the 153 English single-tier and county councils and the 22 Welsh single-tier authorities, asking for a range of information on the Soulbury officers employed by each council. Soulbury officers are advisory staff in children’s services whose collective bargaining is covered by the Soulbury Committee, and include the following roles:

• educational improvement professionals (EIMP)
• educational psychologists (EP)
• young people's/community service managers (YPCSM).

The survey took the form of a detailed Excel proforma, which was made of two main parts:

• pay and related data for all educational improvement professionals, educational psychologists and young people’s/community service managers, including those on local pay and conditions of service. 
• Soulbury posts to which authorities had experienced difficulties recruiting over the last 12 months.

By the closing date, 82 authorities had responded – a response rate of 47 per cent. Table 1 shows the response rate by council type, demonstrating that counties and English unitary authorities had the highest level of response, and London boroughs and metropolitan districts had the lowest level of response.

The estimates presented here have been grossed up from respondents’ data to provide estimates for the Soulbury workforce as a whole. This was done by observing the ratio of the number of teachers to the number of Soulbury staff in respondent authorities and applying these ratios, for each type of authority, to the total number of teachers from the Department for Education (DfE) School Workforce Census.

The distribution of staff by demographic characteristics was as observed in respondents; the proportions were applied to the grossed employment totals. Paybill estimates were calculated by multiplying the average salaries from respondents by the estimated full-time equivalent employment. All data were grossed unless otherwise stated.

In addition, the following should be considered when interpreting the findings of this survey:

• Where tables and figures report the base, the description refers to the group of people who were asked the question. Please note that bases can vary throughout the survey.
• Throughout the report, percentages may not appear to add up to exactly 100 per cent due to rounding.

This section contains analysis of the full results from the survey.

Workforce

Educational improvement professionals

There were an estimated total of 2,399 educational improvement professionals (EIMPs), consisting of 1,746 full-time and 652 part-time staff. This equated to a full-time equivalent total of 2,154 staff, of whom 182 were consultants, 1,034 main grade, 388 senior, 249 leading, and 300 ‘other’ (51 per cent of whom were paid on teacher pay scales and 21 per cent NJC Local Government Services). These findings are illustrated in Table 2 below.

Base: 79 authorities (including nil returns).

At the time of the survey there were a total of 189 FTE vacant EIMP posts giving a vacancy rate of 8.1 per cent. The vacancy rate was highest among senior staff (14.3 per cent) and other staff (11.2 per cent). A full breakdown of the vacancies for each post and the vacancy rates is shown in Table 3.

Base: 79 authorities (including nil returns).

More than four-fifths (83 per cent) of EIMPs were female. This proportion varied little by grade, being slightly lower among leading grade staff (79 per cent). A full breakdown of the distribution by gender for each grade is shown in Table 4.

Base: 79 authorities (including nil returns).

Overall, 92 per cent of EIMPs were white, a proportion that varied between 88 per cent of consultants and 95 per cent of senior grade staff. A full breakdown of the distribution by ethnic background for each grade is shown in Table 5.

Base: 79 authorities (including nil returns).

Around two out of five staff (38 per cent) of EIMPs were in the 45-54 age group, and a further 31 per cent were aged 55 or over. The average age was 50. These figures are shown in full in Table 6.

Base: 79 authorities (including nil returns). Note that those whose age was not provided are excluded from these percentage and average calculations.

Educational psychologists

There were an estimated total of 2,735 educational psychologists (EPs), consisting of 1,402 full-time and 1,332 part-time staff, and overall equating to 2,238 full-time staff. By grade, 54 per cent of FTE staff were on the main grade; senior grade staff accounted for around one in five (21 per cent); most staff in these two grades were part-time. Around two-fifths of ‘other’ staff (39 per cent) were paid on NJC for Local Government Services scales. Table 7 shows a breakdown of the number of staff and FTE by grade.

Base: 74 authorities (including nil returns).

The overall FTE vacancy rate for EPs was 17.2 per cent. Excluding the small number of trainees, the rate was highest for main grade  posts (19.0 per cent). There is a breakdown of the number of vacant posts and the vacancy rates shown in Table 8.

Base: 74 authorities (including nil returns).

Overall, almost nine out of ten EPs (86 per cent) were female, a proportion that was higher among part-time staff (91 per cent). The proportion of women was lowest among trainees (76 per cent) and principal grade staff (79 per cent). There is a full breakdown of distribution by gender for each grade in Table 9.

Base: 74 authorities (including nil returns). Note that those whose gender was not provided are excluded from these percentage calculations.

Just under nine out of ten EPs (86 per cent) were white, a proportion that did not vary greatly by grade. These figures are shown in Table 10.

Base: 72 authorities (including nil returns). Note that those whose ethnic background was not known or not provided are excluded from these percentage calculations.

The average age of educational psychologists was 43. Just over a third (34 per cent) were aged 35-44 and a quarter (26 per cent) were aged 45-54. Table 11 shows a full breakdown by age group and average age.

Base: 74 authorities (including nil returns). Note that those whose age was not provided are excluded from these percentage and average calculations.

Young people’s/community service managers

Young people’s/community service managers (YPCSMs) are the smallest group covered by the Soulbury Committee, with just 316 staff, of which 292 were full-time and 24 part-time, equating to 292 full-time equivalents (FTEs). The survey estimated a total of only 25 FTE staff on Soulbury grades, the remaining 267 being classed as ‘other’ (66 per cent of whom were paid on ‘other’ scales not identified by the survey). Because of the small numbers involved, analyses of this group by grade has been limited, and the data should be treated with caution. A breakdown by working status and FTE is shown in Table 12. Sixty-six of the 82 respondents reported that they did not employ any staff in this category.

Base: 82 authorities (including nil returns).

Across all YPCSMs, 73 per cent were female, a proportion that was higher for part-timers (82 per cent) than full-timers (72 per cent).

Overall, 73 per cent were white, 2 per cent were Asian, 17 per cent Black, 7 per cent mixed, and 1 per cent other ethnic groups.

The average (median) age of YPCSMs was 48. Overall, 8 per cent were aged 25-34, 28 per cent were aged 35-44, 31 per cent were aged 45-54, and 34 per cent were aged 55 or over.

Pay and paybills

Educational improvement professionals

The average (mean) FTE salary of EIMPs was £59,216 excluding structured professional assessment (SPA) points and £59,851 including SPA payments. Including SPA, it varied between £56,812 for main grade staff and £73,160 for leading staff. See Table 13. (Note: part-time salaries are actuals rather than full-time equivalents.)

Base: 79 authorities (including nil returns).

The total paybill for EIMPs was £127.6m excluding SPA and £128.9m including SPA. SPA payments therefore equated to £1.4m or 1.1 per cent of the total paybill. See Table 14. (Note: this excludes London and fringe allowances.)

Base: 79 authorities (including nil returns). Totals may not add exactly due to rounding.

Just under a third of EIMPs (32 per cent) were in receipt of SPA points, around half of whom were paid 3 points. Around one in five (18 per cent) were eligible for SPA points, but were either not paid any or paid less than their entitlement. See Table 15.

Base: 79 authorities (including nil returns).

The distribution of education improvement professionals by pay spine within each grade is shown in Annex A of this report.

Educational psychologists

The average FTE salary of EPs was £55,217 excluding SPA payments and £56,759 including SPA payments. Including SPA, it varied between £49,836 for other staff and £72,767 for principal grade staff (excluding trainees and assistants). See Table 16.

Base: 74 authorities (including nil returns).

The total paybill for EPs was £123.6m excluding SPA and £127.0m including SPA. SPA payments therefore equated to £3.4m or 2.7 per cent of the total paybill. Main grade staff accounted for 55 per cent of the total EP paybill. See Table 17. (Note: this excludes London and fringe allowances.)

Base: 74 authorities (including nil returns). Totals may not add exactly due to rounding.

More than two out of five EPs (42 per cent) were in receipt of SPA points, around half of whom were paid 3 points. Around one in five (18 per cent) were eligible for SPA points, but were either not paid any or paid less than their entitlement. See Table 18.

Base: 74 authorities (including nil returns).

Young people’s/community service managers

For this group of roles, no information is shown by grade due to the small numbers of staff recorded in all categories except ‘other’.

The average FTE salary of YPCSMs was £53,567, excluding SPA payments and £54,073 including SPA payments. See Table 19.

Base: 82 authorities (including nil returns).

The total paybill for YPCSMs was £16.5m excluding SPA points and £16.7m including SPA. See Table 20. (Note: this excludes London and fringe allowances.)

Base: 82 authorities (including nil returns). Totals may not add exactly due to rounding.

Overall paybill and London/fringe allowances

The overall basic paybill for Soulbury staff totalled £272.6m and London/fringe allowances added £2.1m, giving a total paybill of £274.7m. Educational improvement professionals and educational psychologists each accounted for 47 per cent of the total. See Table 21.

Base: 74 authorities (including nil returns).

Recruitment and retention difficulties

The data in this section is ungrossed and based on respondent data only. It is based on 76 responses, as one response covered five authorities.

Around seven out of ten respondents (54 out of 76, 71 per cent) reported that they had experienced recruitment difficulties over the previous 12 months.

The most affected job categories were as follows:

• main grade educational psychologists – 47 or 87 per cent of respondent authorities reported a recruitment difficulty, and these covered 41 per cent of posts affected by difficulties;
• senior educational psychologists (22 authorities);
• principal educational psychologists (10);
• senior grade EIMPs (8).

The most commonly cited reasons for recruitment difficulties were as follows:

• Other (written in by respondents) - 62 per cent of posts; these mostly referred to a national shortage of educational psychologists and/or no applicants at all;
• Inadequate salary – 15 per cent;
• Applicants lacked necessary qualifications – 15 per cent;
• Applicants lacked necessary experience – 10 per cent;
• Applicants lacked necessary skills – 4 per cent;
• Not known – 12 per cent.

The most common measures taken to tackle recruitment difficulties were as follows:

• Readvertised - 43 per cent of posts;
• Other (written in by respondents) – 43 per cent; these included discussions with training providers, links with universities, new pay spines, and welcome bonuses.
• Increased salary – 10 per cent;
• No action taken/did not fill vacancy – 9 per cent;
• Regraded post – 6 per cent;
• Filled from limited shortlist – 5 per cent;
• Increased use of existing part-time staff – 4 per cent;
• Reviewed duties entailed – 2 per cent;
• Not known – 12 per cent.

The following tables show the FTE number of staff on each pay point, and are based on respondent data only (i.e. are ungrossed). Information is not shown for YPCSMs due to the small number of staff recorded on Soulbury scales.

Educational improvement professionals

Base: 79 authorities (including nil returns). Hyphens represent not applicable.

Base: 79 authorities (including nil returns). Hyphens represent not applicable.

Base: 79 authorities (including nil returns).

Base: 79 authorities (including nil returns).

Base: 79 authorities (including nil returns).

Base: 79 authorities (including nil returns).

Educational psychologists

Base: 74 authorities (including nil returns).

Base: 74 authorities (including nil returns).

Base: 74 authorities (including nil returns).

Base: 74 authorities (including nil returns).

Base: 74 authorities (including nil returns).