What is an Educational Psychologist?
Educational Psychologists (EPs) have extensive experience, training and knowledge of working with school staff, other professionals, children, young people and their families. EPs will have had several years high level education and training, including a first degree in Psychology, and post-graduate study at a Masters Degree or higher.
EPs in Monmouthshire are employed by the Local Authority to provide support and advice on how to help children and young people get the most out of school and their educational opportunities.
What do Educational Psychologists do?
EPs work with school staff, parents, professionals and children and young people aged 0 – 19 (soon to be to 25) with a range of different needs. In addition EPs support schools and local authorities to help them improve and develop their systems for supporting children and young people.
EPs look at how children and young people experience life within the context of their school and home environment and how different factors in these environments interact with each other. We will aim to work collaboratively with parents, schools and other professionals to identify strategies to support children. Much of an EP’s work is focused on supporting children and young people in educational settings however EPs can also offer support to parents to help meet their children’s needs at home. If you are a parent and think your child may need support from an educational psychologist it will be helpful to speak to your school’s Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Coordinator (ALNCo).
Ways in which EPs work include:
- Consultation — meeting with school staff, parents or carers and other professionals to talk about a child or young person’s needs and how best to support them.
- Carrying out Psychological assessments — visiting schools, pre-school settings and other LA educational settings to gather information about a child or young person’s needs using methods such as observation, consultations with staff, pupil interviews and one to one assessment.
- One to one and small group interventions — EPs may deliver one to one or small group interventions to support learning and emotional wellbeing. They may also train and supervise school staff to enable them to deliver these interventions.
- Supporting staff development – examples include delivering training, staff coaching and providing professional supervision for specialised interventions.
- Research and evaluation — designing and carrying out research to enhance practice and improve outcomes.
- Multi agency work — working with other professionals in a range of multi agency groups.
- Strategic work – EPs support schools and local authorities to improve all children’s emotional wellbeing and experiences of learning.
Monmouthshire Educational Psychologists
We are a team of 5 EPs with a wide range of responsibilities across the County of Monmouthshire.
Monmouthshire EPS is part of the Children and Young People Directorate within Additional Learning Needs.
We work within a time allocation system, and schools have an allocation of visits to manage the work we do with them.
Our professional training has given all of us a special understanding of psychological development – how children, young people and adults think, feel, learn and behave.
Most of us have worked as qualified teachers and we all have knowledge of schools and the education system and can assist in finding ways of helping children at school.
We support and supervise Trainee Educational Psychologists from the Cardiff University Doctorate Course. They contribute within the team and provide a service to schools in Monmouthshire.
Our Aims
- To support the improvement of learning environments for children and young people in order to raise educational standards for all.
- To promote early intervention and forward planning as a means of prevention.
- To support schools in including all children and young people.
- To promote the Monmouthshire Educational Psychology Service as part of Monmouthshire public services.
- To ensure the continuing development of high quality professional practice in the Monmouthshire Educational Psychology Service.
Permission and Consent
Permission and signed consent is always sought from parents/carers prior to the involvement of an EP and we seek to inform parents/carers of the arrangements for working with their child. Parents/carers may be asked into school for all or part of the visit and we provide a copy of any report written following the visit, this is usually done via school.
All EPs working in Monmouthshire Educational Psychology Service are registered with the Health Care Professionals Council as practitioner psychologists and are eligible for Chartered Psychologist status with the British Psychological Society. We work within the rigorous and well established ethical guidelines of the British Psychological Society.
Contact Us
Parents/carers should contact their school’s ALN Coordinator (ALNCo) in the first instance if you have concerns about your child’s development.
You can also contact us at 01633 644644.