10 Things That Will Shape the Future of Education.pdf
Educational Psychology
1. Educational Psychology
DR EMMA WOODWARD
EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST
BRIGHTON AND HOVE CITY COUNCIL
2. What is an Educational Psychologist?
Our main role is to remove the barriers to learning.
To do this we apply psychology to help the emotional
development and educational progress of children
and young people between the ages of 0-19.
3. Barriers to learning
Academic barriers – specific learning difficulties, learning
difficulties/disabilities, access to appropriate educational provision.
Emotional barriers – attachment, anxiety, motivation.
Physical/Medical barriers – physical disability, epilepsy, autism.
Social barriers – aspirations, culture.
These are not mutually exclusive.
4. Applying psychology
There are varying psychological frameworks that we work to:-
Psychodynamic – Bion, Freud – looking at relationships and a persons’ sense of
self – projection and transference.
Systemic – exploring a person’s concern in the context of their ‘system’- family,
school etc..
Solution focused – supporting a person view their concern in terms of ways
forward.
CBT – looking at the link between thoughts, feelings and behaviour.
Most EPs work using most of these frameworks interchangeably to form an holistic
and responsive approach.
5. What do Educational Psychologists do?
Educational psychologists tackle the problems encountered by young
people in education, which may involve learning difficulties and social or
emotional problems.
We carry out a wide range of tasks with the aim of enhancing children's
learning and enabling teachers to become more aware of the factors
affecting teaching and learning.
We support parents/carers understand child development to enable them
to support their child.
We sometimes write reports about children for allocation of special
educational places, or as part of court proceedings or children's panels.
Some Educational Psychologists have areas of special interest (Children in
Care, ASC etc..)
6. We work at three levels:-
Organisational level
Supporting the strategic development of school education policies to support
inclusion
Championing the voice of the child in the wider organisation
Group level
Running groups for children
Training for parents/teaching staff
Individual level
Children, parents, teachers
7. We do this using:-
Research - To explore wider issues and implement change
Consultation – around a problem to enable the problem holder to come up with
their own solution.
Training – to raise awareness of effective ways in working with children and
families.
Observations – of a child, teacher or family ‘in action’.
Individual assessment – assessment of a child’s abilities.
Statutory work and tribunals – to assess a child’s learning and emotional needs
so that an appropriate educational provision can be put into place.
Chair and attend meetings - with parents/carers, schools, other professionals
to discuss, review and monitor progress around a concern.
Supervision- providing supervision and undertaking supervision with our
managers and peers to ensure we remain neutral and reflective about a concern. It
is easy to get caught up in an issue!
No matter how we go about it our main role is to develop and test hypothesis about
the concern using our psychological knowledge.
We don’t always need to see the child, it is most helpful to help those working with
the child to solve their own problems as they have the lasting relationship with the
child.
8. How we work:-
We each are allocated a ‘patch’ of schools (based on area and including early
years, primary, secondary and special).
We also make links with local community groups and children’s centres.
We work closely with other professionals, including – education, health, and
social care.
We work in an integrated manner meaning that we apply psychology in every
encounter to ensure the adults around the child work as effectively as possible.
Some local authorities have now adopted a traded services model. This means
that schools receive a statutory for free but have to pay for any other type of EP
service. This creates a ‘free and open market’ for additional services.
9. A typical week.....
Never the same!
AM PM
Monday Observing Yr 6 class to support Running a drop in for parents
whole class teaching strategies
Tuesday Supporting pastoral staff at a 1:1 session with Yr 5 teacher on
secondary school develop student supporting children with attachment
engagement difficulties
Wednesday Running a focus group with pupils Giving a presentation at Sussex
at risk of exclusion for a piece University
action research using appreciative
inquiry
Thursday Meeting with a social worker Admin
Friday Attending a Team around the Home visit for a family with a child
Child meeting for a child with with ASC, whom I have been working
complex epilepsy. with for the past two years.
10. How to become an Educational
Psychologist
To become an Educational Psychologist you need to have an undergraduate
degree in psychology and then complete a three year Doctorate in Educational
Psychology.
It is preferred that applicants have a 2.1 or above in a first psychology-based
degree that grants them eligibility for Graduate Basis for Registration (GBR)
with the British Psychological Society (BPS)
You will also need at least two years relevant experience of working with
children and young people. This can include roles such as assistant educational
psychologist, teacher, classroom or learning assistant, SEN co-ordinator or
research activity with children and young people. Other relevant experience is
also considered
11. The important bit!
The pay for an EP is in accordance with the Soulbury
pay scale (currently):-
1 £33,934
2 £35,656
3 £37,378
4 £39,100
5 £40,822
6 £42,544
7 £44,165
8 £45,786
9 ** £47,305
10 ** £48,825
11 ** £50,243
12. Over to you!
Any questions or thoughts?
For further information please see:-
http://bit.ly/edupsych
http://www.bps.org.uk/