What an educational psychologist is, how they support children and young people in education settings, how to get support from one.
What an educational psychologist is
Educational psychologists (EPs) work to improve the learning and wellbeing of children and young people at their education setting.
EPs have training and postgraduate qualifications in education and child development. They’re regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council.
How educational psychologists (EPs) work in education settings
Most education settings in Bristol work with an EP, also known as the school’s link EP. The link EP will get to know the school, their unique community and ways of working.
The EP will work with:
- several young people at the education setting
- the education setting to develop staff practice and early intervention
The EP’s work at the education setting could include:
- training staff in psychological skills and approaches relevant to the needs of their pupils and setting
- helping staff develop policies
- running parent workshops
- supervising headteachers, teachers and support staff
- doing research in schools, such as finding out whether something has worked
- working to identify and reduce inequalities for children and young people
- developing support for school issues across Bristol, such as school non-attendance
Who educational psychologists (EPs) work with
EPs work with children and young people in education settings aged from 0 to 25 with a wide range of needs. This includes children and young people who:
- find communicating, expressing themselves or playing with others difficult
- are being bullied
- are getting into trouble at school
- find an area of learning difficult, such as learning to read or remembering things
- feel low, worried, angry or want to hurt themselves
- have a disability or sensory impairment
EPs often work with children and young people who:
- have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)
- have a social worker
- are at risk of school exclusion
- have experience of trauma
EPs don’t work with every child or young person with these needs. The education setting will try other work or interventions before asking for an EP’s support.
EPs also work with children and young people as part of their statutory work. For example, they:
- work on EHC needs assessments
- act as expert witnesses at SEND tribunals
EPs might work with children who are not part of an education setting through this statutory work. For example, children who are home educated or attend a childminder.
What to expect when an EP works with a child or young person
The EP will aim to find solutions and actions which lead to helpful change for the child or young person.
They will usually work with those people directly supporting the child or young person to jointly solve a problem, including the child or young person’s teachers and their parents or carers.
The child or young person’s education setting will have tried to help them already. It’s only when staff feel they need further help to move things forward for the young person that an EP might become involved.
The EP will:
- always talk to and prepare the child or young person before they start working with them
- usually work with the child or young person at their education setting, but may also go to the child or young person’s home if everyone agrees
- usually work with people face to face, but also sometimes online
EPs cannot provide:
- a quick fix for most problems
- simple strategies that will solve all difficulties a child or young person is experiencing
The problems EPs support with are often complex and positive change can take time. EPs will help to focus on meaningful next steps that are aspirational but also realistic for each individual.
How the EP may work with the child or young person
EPs will agree hoped for goals. These will be different for every child, but will cover:
- relationships and ensuring people feel listened to, respected and understood
- building on strengths
- working towards future goals and aspirations
- seeing each child as an individual and adapting the work to fit the child and their unique situation
The EP may:
- talk to the child or young person about the issue they need help with and their hopes for the future
- observe the child or young person to understand their learning environment
- explore the child or young person’s thinking and learning skills
- look at the child or young person’s school work
- talk to the adults who know the child or young person best, such as parents, carers and teachers, to understand what’s happening and build on their expert knowledge of the child
- work in partnership to find a solution that works for everyone involved
How to get support from an educational psychologist (EP)
If you think an EP could help your child, speak to the education setting’s SENDCo or pastoral staff.
You can only access the Bristol EP Service through education settings that commission them. Not all Bristol education settings commission EPs.
If the child is at an Early Years setting
If the child’s parents or carers or staff at the setting agree that EP involvement might be helpful, staff can ask the Bristol City Council Early Years Panel to approve this involvement. This panel happens once a month.
A member of staff at the setting will need to fill in the Early Years request for EP involvement form, and email it to earlyyears.sensupport@bristol.gov.uk
Commission an EP privately
The Bristol EP Service cannot do private assessments. If your child’s education setting can’t involve an EP, you can find a private EP on the Health and Care Professions Council Register. Search for ‘practitioner psychologist’.
More support and guidance
Educational Psychology website has more information about what educational psychologists do.
Bristol’s Belonging Strategy: Belonging in Education
Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA): school based learning support assistants who support the emotional wellbeing of pupils, trained by educational psychologists.
Mediating Learning Support Assistants (MeLSA): school based learning support assistants trained by education psychologists.
If your child has SEND:
- Ordinarily Available Provision explains what resources should be available for children and young people with SEND in mainstream education settings
- The Bristol Parent Carer Forum is a group of parents and carers of children with SEND, providing information and support