Psychologists Across UK Urge British Psychological Society to Restore Funding for School Science Engagement

A total of 81 psychologists across the UK have come together to call on the British Psychological Society (BPS) to reinstate funding for the Psychology Zone in I’m a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here, urging renewed support to inspire and engage the next generation.

They said: “We are a group of 81 psychologists who care about inspiring the next generation of psychologists. We want our profession to be inclusive and representative of the UK population. This requires us to be proactive in the promotion of psychology in schools.”

They added: “I’m a Scientist is a unique platform that demystifies science, humanises researchers, and, most importantly, invites children and young people to ask questions that matter to them. The Psychology Zone, funded by the British Psychological Society between 2017 and 2024, has been a cornerstone of this effort, but the Society discontinued funding for the initiative last year.

“We are calling on the BPS to reconsider its decision to withdraw this funding and to reinstate support for psychology in I’m a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here.”

Over the past decade and more, we have proudly represented the discipline in the I’m a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here engagement programme. This innovative initiative has allowed psychologists from all backgrounds and specialisms to engage directly with thousands of school students from across the UK. In many cases, I’m a Scientist has directly nurtured science communication skills in psychologists that have led to lasting impacts on their careers, as well as the wider field. Numerous participants have gone on to become award-winning communicators across a variety of media. For early career researchers in particular, I’m a Scientist has been an invaluable first step into public engagement, building confidence, refining communication skills, and fostering a lifelong commitment to making psychology accessible and inclusive.

I’m a Scientist continues to support the science capital for over 20,000 students each year. However, since the withdrawal of BPS funding, students are no longer being engaged with psychology. The programme is allowing over 500 scientists to improve their engagement skills and boost their confidence and motivation to do more outreach independently, but almost none are psychologists.

We understand that funding decisions are difficult and that there are other ways to do outreach. However, I’m a Scientist has a set of unique advantages. Firstly, it represents exceptional value for money and directly aligns with the Society’s charitable objective of promoting the advancement and diffusion of psychological knowledge. It provides an obvious vehicle through which to champion the next generation of psychologists, and is a well-established, proven, and scalable model of outreach – one that reaches students from all backgrounds, in all parts of the UK.

Secondly, it provides an equitable space for all students to have a voice. It is a space for psychologists from all backgrounds to engage, showing students that there are psychologists who look and talk like them. It particularly benefits students with a diverse range of learning needs, promoting inclusivity and equitability in terms of access to psychology.

For psychologists, I’m a Scientist can be equally transformative. It challenges us to communicate clearly, to think about our audiences and their needs, and to reflect on the societal relevance of our work in a very direct manner. There is no better way to develop science communication skills than by trying to explain psychological concepts to a class full of school students.

We are proud of the work that we have done through I’m a Scientist, and equally proud that the BPS has supported it for so many years. But we are concerned that the withdrawal of funding has sent the wrong message: that psychology is less committed to public engagement than other sciences, that our discipline is not for everyone, and crucially, that we are stepping back from our commitment to education and outreach at precisely the time we should be leaning further in.

We ask you to reconsider. If the BPS were to reinstate funding for the Psychology Zone, it would reaffirm that the Society values outreach, education, and the public understanding of psychology in all of its forms. It would provide a space for psychologists from all stages – from early career to long-established chartered members – to develop their communication skills. Critically, it would ensure that young people across the UK continue to see psychology as a science that is relevant, exciting, and open to them.

The BPS is the only UK organisation that can make this happen.

Signed:

1. Dr Ashleigh Johnstone, senior lecturer, Arden University, and chartered psychologist
2. Professor Pete Etchells, professor of psychology and science communication, Bath Spa University
3. Dr Pizza Chow, senior lecturer, University of Chester, and BPS chartered psychologist
4. Dr Ola Demkowicz, senior lecturer in psychology of education, University of Manchester, and BPS chartered psychologist
5. Dr Susanna Martin, experimental officer in psychology, University of Bath
6. Dr Emma Sullivan, postdoctoral research associate, University of York
7. Dr Gwen Brekelmans, senior lecturer, Queen Mary University of London
8. Dr Jo Daniels, senior lecturer in clinical psychology, University of Bath
9. Dr Priya Silverstein, postdoctoral researcher, Ashland University, USA
10. Dr Ellen Smith, lecturer in psychology, Northumbria University
11. Dr Abbie Jordan, reader in psychology, University of Bath
12. Dr Mary Spiller, senior lecturer in psychology, University of East London
13. Dr Mhairi Bowe, associate professor in social psychology, Heriot-Watt University
14. Dr Line Caes, associate professor in health psychology, University of Stirling
15. Dr Natalie Butcher, principal lecturer (marketing and recruitment), Teesside University
16. Dr Emily McDougal, research fellow, Evidence Based Practice Unit, Anna Freud and UCL
17. Dr Helena Paterson, senior lecturer, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow
18. Dr Caroline Wesson, senior lecturer, University of Wolverhampton
19. Dr James Bartlett, lecturer in psychology, University of Glasgow
20. Dr Louise Rodgers, educational psychologist
21. Dr Jennifer Deane, health services researcher, Newcastle University
22. Dr Tanya Schrader, lecturer in forensic psychology, Birmingham City University
23. Dr Jake Sallaway-Costello, associate professor, University of Nottingham
24. Professor Zoe Knowles, Liverpool John Moores University, and HCPC registered psychologist
25. Dr Jamie Murray, lecturer, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow
26. Dr Katie Lightfoot, HCPC registered health psychologist, chartered psychologist, director of Rejig Solutions, former associate professor of health psychology and medical education
27. Dr Lizzie Bradford, lecturer, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews
28. Ms Chloe Tasker, PhD researcher, Department of Psychology, University of Essex
29. Dr Georgina Wren, postdoctoral research fellow, University of Leeds
30. Dr Bérengère Digard, postdoctoral research fellow, University of Edinburgh
31. Dr Rita Lopes, chartered psychologist, senior lecturer in positive psychology and coaching psychology, University of East London
32. Dr Madeleine Pownall, associate professor, School of Psychology, University of Leeds
33. Ms Eleanor Stamp, PhD researcher, Centre of Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh
34. Dr Alex Baxendale, lecturer in psychology, Bangor University
35. Ms Celine Brookes-Smith, lecturer, Arden University
36. Dr Zoe Wimshurst, senior lecturer, Health Sciences University, chartered psychologist
37. Dr Michael Smith, associate professor and head of research and knowledge exchange (Department of Psychology), Northumbria University, chartered psychologist
38. Dr Helen Dudfield, fellow RAeS, honorary professor NTU, AFBPsS, chartered psychologist, dean of fellows, QinetiQ
39. Dr Birsu Kandemirci, lecturer, University of Manchester
40. Dr Kohinoor Darda, founder and CEO, Advancement and Research in the Sciences and Arts (ARISA) Foundation, Pune, India
41. Dr Jennifer Allen, reader in psychology, University of Bath
42. Dr Daniel Farrelly, principal lecturer in psychology, University of Worcester
43. Professor Peter Kinderman, professor of clinical psychology, University of Liverpool
44. Dr Sam Carr, reader in education with psychology, University of Bath
45. Dr Christina Murphy, lecturer, Arden University
46. Dr Maheen Siddiqui, research fellow, Birkbeck, University of London
47. Dr Luan Cassal, lecturer in psychology, University College Birmingham, and BPS chartered psychologist
48. Dr Caroline Hyde, lecturer, School of Psychology and Counselling and School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University
49. Dr Noura S. Vyas, associate professor of mental health, School of Law, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Kingston University London
50. Mr Nate Rae, PhD student and associate lecturer in psychology, London South Bank University; science presenter at Braintastic! Science
51. Dr Simon Payne, lecturer in behaviour change science and psychology, Aberystwyth University
52. Dr Mustafa Emara, psychiatrist, Egypt
53. Dr Daljinder Chalmers, health psychologist
54. Caitlin Naylor, PhD researcher, University of Bath
55. Malwina Niechcial, PhD candidate, Heriot-Watt University
56. Tess Rugg, PhD researcher, University of Bath
57. Dr Reece Bush-Evans, senior lecturer in psychology, Bournemouth University
58. Dr Natalie Mestry, principal academic, Bournemouth University
59. Dr Hannah Slack, postdoctoral researcher, King’s College London
60. Dr Keri Wong, associate professor of developmental psychology, University College London
61. Dr Danielle Paddock, research associate, Sheffield Hallam University
62. Ms Sharon Frazer, staff tutor and lecturer, School of Psychology and Counselling, The Open University; PhD researcher, University of Exeter
63. Dr Rianne Haartsen, postdoctoral researcher, Birkbeck, University of London
64. Professor Jason Ellis, professor of sleep science, Northumbria University
65. Dr Emma Palmer-Cooper, lecturer in psychology, University of Southampton
66. Dr Lucy Maddox, clinical academic fellow, University of Bath
67. Dr Vassilis Sideropoulos, senior research technical lead, University College London
68. Ms Nadine Mirza, research associate, University of Manchester
69. Dr Rebecca Evans, postdoctoral research associate, University of Liverpool
70. Dr Ellen Seiss, principal academic, Bournemouth University
71. Dr Penny Holding, consultant psychologist, Transformational Systems, DMIHER, Wardha, India; Identitéa, London
72. Dr Ian Stephen, associate professor, Bournemouth University
73. Dr Tracey Elder, senior lecturer, The Open University, and chartered psychologist
74. Ms Lowri Evans, vice president of cultural and behavioural risk, Citi Group
75. Professor Denis Mareschal, professor of psychology, Birkbeck, University of London
76. Harry Piper, teaching fellow in psychology, Bath Spa University
77. Dr Steven Karlsson-Brown, patient and public involvement and engagement specialist, Heriot-Watt University
78. Professor Jasna Martinovic, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh
79. Dr Caroline Brett, health psychologist and lecturer in clinical psychology, School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh
80. Dr Rachel K Reid, child and educational psychologist, London and South East
81. Dr Claire Santorelli, psychology study skills coordinator, Birkbeck, University of London