Who is the Educational Psychologist?

Our psychologist is Lucy Yeoman.

What does she do?

We ask for support from the Psychologist in four main ways:

1. For advice as to how best to support a student when as a school we have used all the strategies we have and the child is not making progress.
2. Sometimes a student’s needs are considered complex and requiring continued additional support which is greater than SEN support would be. In these cases, school may be applying for a needs assessment for a Single Education Health Care Plan. The Psychologist works with school to ensure that we are doing all we can at SEN support stage. If an education, Health and Care Plan is agreed by the local Authority, the Educational Psychologist will be asked to provide evidence to contribute to this.
3. Often, the Psychologist is asked to deliver staff training. This happens after school.
4. Drop in sessions for staff - these are for unnamed students and allow staff access to her professional expertise

What happens if the psychologist is asked to see my child by school?

In all cases the SENCO fills in a referral form and this is shared with parents or carers. Parents/ carers are asked to sign the form to show they have given their consent.

Once a date has been fixed, the SENCO organises a timetable. The dates for visits are usually sorted out at the end of an academic year so that these are planned. Occasionally the dates may be moved. It is usual for three students to be seen in a day. As far as possible, SENCO will try to make sure that appointment times are convenient. Please let her know when you sign the forms if there is a problem with the date.

The visit has three parts: a classroom observation; a discussion with parents or carers and a discussion with school staff. Towards the end, the meeting may involve staff and parents and sometimes the IEP will be written at this meeting to ensure that any advice given is followed.

Sometimes the advice may be about transition, in which case there may be only one visit. Often there is a follow up visit to review progress and discuss next steps. This is usually sufficient to ensure that the student is making progress so there is no need for further involvement from the psychologist.

Why don’t all SEND students see the psychologist?

For most of our students, school is meeting their needs and therefore this is not required.

School has a budget of five days a year and so there is limited time available. The SENCO has an overview of need across the school and monitors progress. SENCO may wish to refer a student to the Educational Psychologist when all strategies have been tried and the young person is not making progress or is still struggling with school.

What happens after the visit?

A report is sent to school. School store these reports in a locked filing cabinet and the essential points are shared with staff. In the case of primary children, the class teacher will have copy. A third copy is sent home to parents. The SENCO and staff then follow this advice.

On occasions, the Psychologist may consider that a referral to another agency would be helpful. SENCO will then do this referral.

Will the Psychologist give my child tests?

Sometimes this happens but not always. The main purpose of her visit is to support the school in supporting the child and tests will not necessarily provide this information. If specific assessments or tests are indicated, the Psychologist will discuss these with you and report the results in a written form