The Educational Psychology Service at GES provides professional psychological services using a deep knowledge of psychological theory and research to develop an understanding of even the most complex situations, addressing a wide range of child and adolescent developmental issues, including support for teaching and learning.
Educational Psychologists are concerned with children's learning and development. They apply their specialist skills in psychological and educational assessment techniques.
The Educational Psychology Service at GES consults with staff and parents to explore issues that may interfere with learning. Strategies discussed between the people involved in a child's education are used to promote progress and learning using knowledge, experience and relevant research. The Educational Psychologist provides training, contributes to planning and development, and can undertake action research to inform all concerned how best to progress. Increasingly, the Educational Psychology Service at GES is working with a range of professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to support children’s learning and development in a holistic and multi-professional way. The Educational Psychology Service also provides support in the event of a potentially traumatic event.
Services Provided
The Educational Psychologist at GES provides with a consultation approach.
The consultation approach has proved to be very effective in supporting children's learning and development.
A consultation is a problem-solving meeting between the Educational Psychologist and teacher (or a group of teachers), sometimes involving parents and other staff working with the child, for example School Counsellor, School Nurses, EAL Coordinator, Physiotherapist or Speech and Language Therapists.
Usually the consultation is based around teachers' observations and investigations; the child may not need to see the Educational Psychologist. In some cases the Educational Psychologist may need to carry out classroom observations or meet with the child before consultation takes place.
The consultation identifies the child's difficulties and actions that can be taken at school to help tackle these. It can lead to interventions focusing on the individual, a group of pupils, or at a whole school level.
All consultations are followed up at a further review meetings, where progress can be checked and any additional action planned, if required.
The services offered by Educational Psychology Service at GES include working in the following ways.
With the school as an organisation:
- Consultation around whole-school issues, such as managing pupil behaviour, identifying and assessing children with additional educational needs, working with parents.
- School-based staff development.
With teachers and parents:
- Joint investigation and problem solving with teachers, middle and senior management, and parents to come up with actions for individual or groups of children.
With individual children or groups of children:
- Full Educational Psychologists assessment and report, following structured investigations and assessment of a child.
- Individual involvement at a consultation level to help inform practical strategies and actions.
- Individual assessments, such as testing for Dyslexia or facilitating Exam Access Arrangements.
- Providing individual support to a pupil or to a group of pupils, for example, to develop social skills, dyslexia interventions, etc.
