How to access an Educational Psychologist
If you have concerns about your child’s development or progress, please share these with the SENDCo, Head of Year and/or Inclusion Manager at their school. The school may be able to put in additional support, or if they need further advice, they may ask their Educational Psychologist (or other professionals) to then become involved.
Educational Psychologist involvement
An Educational Psychologist might see your child for lots of different reasons. These might include if they need some help with learning, communication, behaviour, or their emotional wellbeing. Before an Educational Psychologist is involved, your child’s school will have been providing additional support as part of a ‘graduated approach’. If progress is still not being made, or is limited, an Educational Psychologist may be asked to be work with you and school staff to find a way forwards to support your child.
Booking or paying for Educational Psychology Service support
Warwickshire Educational Psychology Service does not take parent referrals. Please speak with your child’s school SENDCo to discuss your concerns to consider if it is appropriate to access our service. Alternatively, if you are still wanting to fund some support for your child, please refer to the British Psychological Society website to find a chartered, HCPC-registered psychologist. Please note that you would need to personally fund independent Educational Psychologist support.
The British Psychological Society - Find a psychologist
How to access support from an Educational Psychologist for your child
Educational Psychologists work closely with SENDCos and colleagues in local schools/educational settings to agree involvement with many children and young people, throughout each school year. Schools consider a range of factors as part of this decision making to try and provide fair access to Educational Psychologist support for all young people.
If this support is not possible from your child’s educational setting, you can look into independent Educational Psychologist support available in your area, via the British Psychological Society’s Directory of Chartered Psychologists. Please note that you would need to personally fund independent Educational Psychologist support.
The British Psychological Society - Find a psychologist
Being seen by an Educational Psychologist
It is difficult to give exact timings, and the Educational Psychology Service do not hold a referral waiting list. Any decision on when a child or young person will be seen by an Educational Psychologist will be agreed with the SENDCo. In any case, the Educational Psychology Service or SENDCo will be in contact with you to seek your parental consent and to agree dates for this support.
Again, if you have ongoing concerns about your child’s development and progress in the meantime, please raise these with the SENDCo, Head of Year and/or Inclusion Manager at their school or setting.
How an Educational Psychologist might support your child
Educational Psychologists work in lots of different ways. The Educational Psychologist will talk to staff who know your child well in their school/setting, and they may watch a lesson, activity or breaktime. They may want to talk to you as well. Sometimes, the Educational Psychologist will do some assessment work with your child to find out more about their strengths and difficulties. Sometimes, a conversation about a situation is enough to help the people involved to identify how to improve it.
Typically, the Educational Psychologist will work with you, your child and their school to agree a plan of possible support ideas. This plan may include things you can try at home, and things school/setting staff can try at school. There may be few things or a long list to help your child in lots of different areas. The Educational Psychologist will not make a diagnosis but will support the adults who know the young person best to make helpful changes.
You can clarify possible next steps with your school’s link Educational Psychologist as needed, at the point of providing parental consent for their support.
How to give parental consent for an Educational Psychologist
The Educational Psychology Service will request parental consent from those with Parental Responsibility for supporting your child using an electronic ‘Joint Agreement Form’ (JAF). This will be shared with you via email, prior to Educational Psychology involvement. It is important that your child’s school or setting have your up-to-date contact details, for this reason. Alternatively, a paper copy of the JAF may be provided by school, as needed.
If your child/young person is at an age where we can gather their informed consent (usually 16 years and over), they will be asked to complete a JAF to provide their consent.
Educational Psychologists working directly with your child
An Educational Psychologist might meet with your child but not always work directly with them as there are different levels of involvement. Input from an Educational Psychologist can vary depending on the identified need which may include:
- Observing your child in the playground or classroom
- Direct work with your child, which may include completing assessments and/or gathering their views
- Consultation with you and staff
- Consultation with other professionals who are already involved with your child.
After the Educational Psychologist has supported your child
Your child’s school/setting may receive a written record of our involvement. If a record of involvement is written, you will receive this via post, email, or through your child’s school. Those who are working with your child will use the strategies detailed in the written record to help them. An Educational Psychologist may only see your child once, or they may attend reviews and have further involvement. If you agree to Educational Psychologist involvement, our support can be called upon by schools/settings when it is needed.
If you don't agree with something the Educational Psychologist has written about your child
Whilst an Educational Psychologist reserves the right to provide their own professional opinion, they will of course work with you, your child and their school to try and develop a shared understanding of the support that your child may require.
Your opinion will be listened to, and we will always try and include you in deciding ways forward.
If you are not happy with what we are doing, you can:
- Speak to the SENCo at your child’s school,
- Tell us, you’ll find our contact details here.
Diagnosing conditions such as Autism, ADHD or Dyslexia
In Warwickshire, an Educational Psychologist does not make diagnoses as part of their school-based work. Instead, we work with those involved to find ways of supporting presenting needs, whether these as part of an already identified condition or not. We work with many children without formal diagnoses, and this should not prevent them from accessing support within the education system.
At Warwickshire Educational Psychology Service, we do not provide diagnostic assessment for Dyslexia. Please use the link below to our Local Offer for our Literacy Practice Guidance for ideas on how we may support.
- Teaching reading, writing and spelling to children and young people with literacy difficulties (PDF, 255KB)
- Further information regarding possible assessment for Autism or ADHD within Warwickshire
- Graduated approach for supporting all special educational needs (often referred to as the ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ cycle) (PDF, 65KB)
Recommending a change of school for your child, or helping to choose a school or setting
Educational Psychologists cannot comment or recommend a change of school or setting for your child and are required to remain impartial. Educational Psychologists will instead focus on the support and ideas that your child will benefit from in any given educational setting. This may help inform any decisions you may make regarding to school places.
If you query relates to a change of school placement for a child with an Education, Health and Care Plan, then this should be raised with Warwickshire SENDAR.
Assessing your child's needs as part of an Education Health and Care needs assessment
When an Education Health and Care Needs Assessment is taking place, the Educational Psychologist may visit your child, and gather lots of information about them. They may watch them in lessons, talk to them, work with them, and talk to staff who know them well. The Educational Psychologist may also want to talk to you as you know your child best. They will want to know what your child is good at, what you are worried about, and what you want for your child. In some instances, you may have known the Educational Psychologist for some time, and this may feel more like a review of your child’s progress.
If new information needs to be written by the Educational Psychologist as part of this process, this will be referred to as a ‘psychological advice’ and you will receive a copy (as will as the Local Authority and your child’s school).
The Local Authority will decide whether your child needs an Education Health and Care Plan. You will get a copy of the report when the Local Authority have made their decision. This may take several weeks.
The Education, Health and Care Needs assessment process is overseen in Warwickshire by Warwickshire SENDAR (Special Educational Needs Disability and Review).
Further information on the Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment process within Warwickshire
Or for a video about the Education Health and Care Plan process, please see below.
A quick guide for parents and carers to the Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) process
Supporting a parental request for an Education, Health, Care Needs Assessment
Although we cannot support your request directly, you are able to submit any previous Educational Psychologist reports to support your request. If your parental request for an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment is agreed, an Educational Psychologist will then be involved.
Further information about submitting a parental referral within Warwickshire
Storing your child's information
Your child’s information will be stored confidentially within a secure electronic file, in accordance with data compliance legislation. This is only accessible by the Educational Psychology Service and those within Business Support who work for the Educational Psychology Service.