Educational Psychology Service
When a child is identified as having special educational needs, the school should discuss with parents the educational support and services that will be made available for their child.
The school should provide interventions that are in addition to, or different from, those that are provided as part of the school's standard strategies and curriculum.
If concerns continue, despite the interventions carried out by the school, teachers and parents should discuss the concerns and decide whether it is appropriate to involve external services, such as an educational psychologist or specialist teacher.
South Tyneside Council has an Educational Psychology Service.
Schools / settings may choose to use the Councils' Educational Psychology Service, or pay for a private company or individual to fulfil this role.
You should consult with your child's school / setting about whether they will use the Council's service.
Educational psychologist role
Educational psychologists use their expertise to make sure a child / young person reaches their potential.
Most come from a teaching background, or have other relevant experience of working with children and young people.
Educational psychologists have knowledge and skills in:
- Child development
- A wide range of special educational needs
- How children learn and achieve
- Ways to support children, their schools and families
- Emotional wellbeing
When educational psychologists become involved
An educational psychologist may become involved when a child's learning or behaviour is a concern for their teacher or family.
There are several other methods of support which should be explored to support a child or young person before an educational psychologist is contacted.
Before an educational psychologist becomes involved, the child or young person will have already received additional support in school, where the school will have adapted their teaching in relation to a child's strengths and weaknesses in accessing the curriculum.
The school will also carry out systematic observation and assessment, which will help to identify whether a child has special educational needs.
What educational psychologists do
Assessment is an ongoing process that your child's teachers and support staff will do as part of their role.
Some children do need additional assessments to understand more about their needs and the best way to support them.
- Meet parents/carers to listen to their concerns
- Observe and assess children to identify their strengths and difficulties
- Talk to children to understand their views about difficulties they may have
- Offer advice about learning or behaviour to staff who work with the child
- Offer training to schools and other professionals
- Work together with other agencies and services such as the Department of Speech and Language Therapy
In some cases, it may be necessary carry out assessments in person.
If this is needed, the educational psychologist will discuss this with you.
The information which educational psychologists gather will help them provide recommendations and strategies for meeting your child's needs.
This contributes to the assess, plan, do, review (graduated approach).
Educational psychologists contribute to the Education Health and Care needs assessment.
How to make a referral
Referrals to the Educational Psychology Service should be made through your child's school.
If you have any concerns about your child's learning or behaviour at school, these should be raised with your child's teacher or the school's special educational needs and disabilities co-ordinator (SENCO).
Specialist teachers
The specialist teachers are professionals who have a degree in education and a Post Graduate Certificate of Education in Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia).
Why would my child see a specialist teacher?
Your child may see a specialist teacher for support if they are found to have significant literacy and/or numeracy difficulties and are not making progress, despite receiving appropriate intervention in school.
What help can specialist teachers offer?
Specialist teachers offer the following types of support:
- Consultation about the needs of individual children who have been referred to the Educational Psychology Service.
- School based training for groups and coaching for individual support staff.
- Short to medium term blocks of teaching for children with severe literacy and/or numeracy difficulties.
- Advice on resources and interventions
How to make a referral
Referrals to specialist teachers are made through the school's educational psychologist, following discussion with the school's special educational needs co-ordinator and parents.
Emotional resilience team
The Emotional Resilience Team is a small team of highly experienced professionals, known as Emotional Resilience Officers, who can help to develop the emotional resilience of children and young people.
Why would my child see an Emotional Resilience Officer?
The Emotional Resilience Team supports targeted children and young people from ages 7 to 16, who have been identified as requiring support in particular areas that may create barriers to their learning and/or mental health.
The team also works with targeted Year 6 children and helps to support them with their transition to Year 7 (secondary education).
In addition, intensive support is provided to children and young people who are presenting as school refusers, helping to reintegrate them into an education setting.
The team can also offer bereavement support to children who are struggling with the death or loss of someone close to them.
What help can Emotional Resilience Officers offer?
Emotional Resilience Officers provide termly support sessions and group work to targeted children in schools. The process allows the child time and space to discuss any concerns or worries in a confidential environment which can help them to develop coping strategies.
How to make a referral
The Emotional Resilience Team is small and therefore support is not available to every child. Referrals are made by primary schools each term for Key Stage 2 children, and secondary schools for children in school years 7-11.
Referrals made for a child or young person presenting as experiencing emotional-based school avoidance must be made through school directly to the service.
Bereavement support referrals can be made by contacting the Lead Bereavement & Loss Officer : Tracey Dolan tracey.dolan@southtyneside.gov.uk