Services for Schools

Assessments help to triangulate information and clarify or identify areas of strength and need. They play a key role in focusing intervention, informing action plans and reviewing progress over time.

We use a variety of assessments within each area of SEND (physical and sensory; communication and interaction; cognition and learning; and social, emotional and mental health). They include direct and indirect assessments, that are either formal or informal. Frequently used are standardised assessments, criterion referenced assessments, dynamic assessment, play-based assessments, observations and questionnaires.

To support children and young people, it is essential to gain their perspectives, and have their voices heard and acted upon within the process of an educational psychologist’s involvement. Only through gaining a pupil’s voice can we truly understand their lived experiences. Only through acting upon their opinions, can children and young people feel included in finding solutions to best help and support them.

We use a variety of approaches to gain a child or young person’s opinions and to aid their participation. We apply techniques depending upon a child’s age and development, often utilising play-based creative techniques, therapeutic approaches, personal-construct approaches, self-report questionnaires or less formal conversations. Wherever possible, we consider person-centred planning approaches that enable children or young people to be part of solution-focused, problem-solving consultations.

Consultation is a joint problem-solving approach with school staff, which draws upon experiences and expertise, whilst pulling together all triangulated information and assessment results, to gain a deeper understanding of a child or young person’s needs. This approach results in the formulation of an action plan, detailing practical creative solutions and interventions tailored to each individual child or young person.

Our consultation approach and action plans work within the ‘assess, plan, do, review’ process of the graduated response. Action plans are frequently reviewed to uncover a deeper understanding of a child or young person’s strengths and needs (their responses to intervention), and the next steps needed to effect further change.

Our consultation approach often includes parents and supports joined-up working, shared understandings of a child or young person’s needs and develops solutions between home and school.

Reports are provided for different purposes, and reflect the aims and outcome of our involvement.

Reports can vary from brief summaries detailing next-step recommendations, to consultation action plans detailing assessment results and agreed solutions, to more comprehensive reports detailing strengths and SEND needs, assessment results and provisions required to meet short, medium and long term outcomes.

Ideally, our model of practice is within the division of consultation action plan reports, which are updated as part of the ‘assess, plan, do, review’ process. However, we understand that at times a comprehensive report is requested for specific purposes. For example, to thoroughly understand a child or young person’s presenting needs; to seek multi-agency support; or as part of a request for an education, health and care needs assessment. Our consultation action plans are often submitted as evidence of the graduated response, or comprehensive reports are requested following two rounds of ‘assess, plan, do, review’, and when additional provisions are being sought. Equally, we can provide comprehensive reports in addition to the initial action plan process. Overall, we apply a flexible approach to report writing that ensures we provide a service in a style that best meets the needs of the children and young people we support (and their schools too!).

Our typical time frames for completing reports is within two or three weeks (once all information is gathered and solutions are agreed). Very often reports are written much sooner, sometimes within days! This is our preference, as we believe reports should be written when we have a current understanding of a child or young person (when all details are fresh in our minds), and to ensure the action plans can be implemented as soon as possible.