Education Pyschology 1. Service Summary We offer a specialist advice and support service from our Education Psychologists that will support your school and your staff to promote positive outcomes for pupils and their parents. Whilst a major part of the Educational Psychologist s core work is linked to psychological assessment, many schools seek additional professional support for pupils and parents, who may need short term professional support to enhance their child s learning and quality of life. 2. Description of service provided This service covers the additional time for services purchased by school over and above the core time allocation a school is entitled to. Schools also have access to support in the event of a critical incident which is also covered by core time. Engagement with Schools; The Education Psychology Service will as part of the Service: Meet with Headteachers to dicscuss the type of intervention/project work to be undertaken. Develop a work programme for the intervention/project together with agreed outcomes to be approved by the school. Agree with the school and or with the parent/carer a timetable stating a start and finish date, and, agreeing a deadline for providing written reports relating to the intervention/project. Education Psychologists when delivering interventions/project work will: Place the needs children and families at the centre of our work. Use a range of evidence based consultation, assessment and intervention techniques. Ensure that all consultative work is in accordance with the LA policies and procedures for SEN and school improvement. Provide written feedback, where appropriate, within agreed timescales. Keep accurate records of time spent in school. Inform the school as soon as possible if a visit has to be cancelled and provide an alternative as soon as possible. Interventions/Projects; The additional Education Psychology support time can be used for a diverse range of activities. Drawing on the expertise in the whole team we will work with you to design a bespoke package of support that meets your own unique requirements. This could include support around the following areas:
Meeting child and family needs; To meet the needs of a child and their family we usually begin our work with a 1 hour consultation. This could lead to our involvement in one or more of the following actions:- Consultation/assessment/intervention/review involving staff, child and parents/carers (plan do review cycle) Identification of IEP targets Preparation of reports Attendance at relevant meetings eg Annual Reviews, School Action Plus and Early Years Plus, CAF etc Multi agency working eg Pupil Referral Unit, Children In Our Care, complex needs, asylum seeking/newly arrived pupils, travelling families, NEET, YOT, young carers etc Longer term individual interventions Group work with children and young people Training and support for staff Work with parents Therapeutic work; Therapeutic approaches may include a psychologist working directly with a child, with involvement from staff. Examples of therapeutic approaches include:- Play therapy the team has a qualified play therapist who works directly with children presenting a wide range of difficulties Motivational interviewing allows the child or young person to explore their behaviour and develop an understanding of the potential benefits of change Personal construct psychology can offer an understanding of how children make sense of their world and identify possibilities for change Nurturing approaches aim to meet the needs of children who have not developed the necessary skills to cope with school Solution orientated approaches focus on strengths and future possibilities to facilitate change Cognitive behavioural approaches can help to make immediate changes by considering a child s thought processes and how these can impact on their behaviour Relaxation can help to reduce stress and anxiety for children and adults Counselling also known as a talking therapy, aims to discuss difficulties and consider barriers to achieving individual goals Group work; EPs can work directly with groups of children, where possible alongside a member of staff, to ensure sustainability. We can also support group work through training, evaluation and staff coaching. Recent examples include:-
Positive psychology with adolescents working with a group to plan for the future, set goals and build resilience Social communication group experiential activities to facilitate the development of skills in targeted groups Circle of friends to support collaboration between peers to engage them in solving problems together Building self esteem exploring different approaches to building confidence and resiliency Nurture groups to support children s emotional development and inclusion in school Positive play to develop language, cognitive and social skills through play Staff development and support; Training and support delivered by the EP team aims to build and sustain capacity of school staff, governors and parents. To do this we always provide schools with relevant, current, evidence based knowledge and ideas. However, just as importantly, our training experiences promote reflective practice and effective adult learning. This helps to ensure that new ideas are embedded and maintained. To do this we work with participants, to make use of and share, knowledge, experience and skills. These examples describes how our training could be delivered. Shared delivery eg parent workshops, therapeutic groups Training workshops on issues such as the psychology of teaching and learning, inclusion and diversity, promoting positive behaviour, cognitive development Action Research eg planning, implementation and evaluation of school/classroom approaches such as nurture groups, restorative justice Reflective support for individuals and groups of staff wishing to consider issues affecting their work Training/support can be planned to meet your development plans or as needs arise (individual, group or whole school), eg How can we improve playtimes? We have a group of children with challenging behaviours, what can we do? How can we improve parent engagement? Parent initiatives; Educational Psychologists often work with parents/carers/families to support their understanding of their child s needs. Educational psychologists can work with families through Home visits Parent workshops Parent drop-ins Planning, implementation and evaluation of parent involvement/community projects development projects Recent examples include:- Early Bird groups for parents of children with an Autistic Spectrum condition Delivery of Effective Parenting workshops
Parent-Child game Drop-in sessions at a nursery school Social story work with families Projects and research; Educational Psychologists are trained in research skills and can be called upon to plan and carry out projects/research/evaluation activities with your school. Examples of recent work include:- Implementing and evaluating a new intervention in school eg Promoting Alternative Thinking Skills A range of Transition projects Why Try a motivational tool for high schools Raising literacy attainment in boys Development work on differentiation and IEPs A case study of the perceptions of young carers based on their high school experiences A study of young lesbian and gay (LG) people s school experiences A case study to examine the process of transition from children to adult services through the views of young people with learning disabilities and their parents Developing emotional health and wellbeing for pupils and staff In some cases, work could be delivered jointly with other teams or agencies. 3. Schools Responsibilities In respect of general planning and consultation the school will: Provide a named member of staff who serves as the main point of contact Make key personnel available for planning and reviewing actions Make available relevant staff for consultation as appropriate Allow sufficient time for activities required for an agreed piece of work Check written communications provided by the EP and alert to any inaccuracies In respect of work relating to an individual child: Provide parents with Information for Parents and obtain written consent for the consultations to take place. Ensure that pupils are available for interview at agreed times. Where presence of a familiar adult is needed, arrange for the appropriate person to be available for the session Make available for the meeting any requested information or documentation that may support the project/intervention. Arrange and make available a quiet suitably furnished room (e.g. chair and desk of appropriate height for the child) playground and/or other suitable space for assessment and/or therapeutic work.
Invite parents to meetings as appropriate. The Education Psychologist will discuss with parents the aims of the intervention/project and discuss any actions which the Education Psychiologist may set for parents to achieve to support the intervention/project. In the event of pupil absence inform the EP at the earliest opportunity 4. Service Specific Quality Assurance Education Psychologists will conduct themselves professionally according to national guidelines including BPS and HPC Codes of Ethics and Professional Practice Be up to date with recent legislation. Maintain and develop professional practice. 5. Charging information Number of sessions Price Single session (3 hours) 175 per hour Up to 4 sessions 450 per session 5-9 sessions 425 per session 10 14 sessions 400 per session 15 or more sessions 375 per session Educational Psychology can be purchased on a sessional or hourly basis: These prices are aligned to the school academic year. Additional information Our rates are fully inclusive of travel, preparation time and written correspondence this includes the production of formal reports, the liaison with other agencies, professional supervision and management costs.