Inspection of the education
functions of local authorities
Summary of evaluation of the
educational psychology service
Dumfries and Galloway Council
28 June 2007
Definition of terms used in this report
HM Inspectors use published criteria when making evaluations. They are published as quality
indicators which relate evaluations to six levels. HMIE began using a six point scale to make
evaluations in August 2005. The table below shows how the six point scale relates to the four
point scale that we used previously.
Old level
Very good
Good
New level
Excellent
Very good
Good
Fair
Unsatisfactory
Adequate
Weak
Unsatisfactory
Description
Outstanding, sector leading
Major strengths
Important strengths with some areas for
improvement
Strengths just outweigh weaknesses
Important weaknesses
Major weaknesses
This report also uses the following words to describe numbers and proportions:
almost all
most
majority
less than half
few
over 90%
75-90%
50-74%
15-49%
up to 15%
Contents
Page
1.
The aims, nature and scope of the inspection
1
2.
What key outcomes has the service achieved?
1
3.
How well does the service meet the needs of its stakeholders?
2
4.
How good is the service’s delivery of key processes?
2
5.
How good is the service’s management?
2
6.
How good is leadership?
3
Appendix 1
5
1. The aims, nature and scope of the inspection
The education functions of each local authority in Scotland were inspected between
2000 and 2005. A second cycle of inspections began in 2006 which incorporates an evaluation
of educational psychology services. Section 9 of the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act
2000 charges HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE), on behalf of the Scottish Ministers, to
provide an external evaluation of the effectiveness of the local authority in its quality assurance
of educational provision within the Council and of its support to schools in improving quality.
The inspection of Dumfries and Galloway Council included the evaluation of the quality of
educational psychology provision on behalf of stakeholders. The evaluation of educational
psychology services is conducted within a framework of quality indicators which embody the
Government’s policy on Best Value. The inspection team also included an Associate Assessor
who was a principal educational psychologist serving in another Scottish local authority.
This web-based report should be read alongside the report on the inspection of the education
functions of Dumfries and Galloway Council which sets out the wider context in which
educational psychology services are delivered.
The Educational Psychology Service
The Dumfries and Galloway Council Educational Psychology Service was based across three
centres in Newton Stewart, Dumfries and Lockerbie. At the time of the inspection, the
complement of educational psychologists was 9.8 full-time equivalents (FTE). Promoted staff
consisted of an operations manager (psychology), two area principal educational psychologists
and two senior educational psychologists. There were also three administrative support staff. In
addition, there was one temporary, full-time educational psychology post unfilled at the time of
inspection.
2. What key outcomes has the service achieved?
The Educational Psychology Service (EPS) was represented on a wide range of strategic groups
across the authority, for example, the Learning and Teaching Policy Group, and the Permanency
Panel. However, there should now be a strategic overview of this work to ensure that all service
activity positively impacts on children, young people and their families. The service had
contributed to the improving outcomes for children and young people in the early years, and
those with social, emotional and behavioural needs.
The EPS management team was involved in further developing the service’s capacity to improve
and make a more positive impact on behalf of its stakeholders. In extending and developing the
role of the EPS, senior managers should now ensure that targets for improvement are supported
by a robust management information system (MIS) and are more closely linked to authority
plans.
Staff within the EPS had a good knowledge and understanding of their general statutory duties
and about how these could be carried out. The service had contributed to, along with other
professionals, developing and supporting the authority’s policy on additional support needs.
1
3. How well does the service meet the needs of its stakeholders?
A majority of individual educational psychologists had established very positive relationships
with children and young people. This effective practice should now be more effectively
disseminated across the service. The EPS had developed some good working relationships with
families, and very good partnerships with a range of agencies, including social work and the
voluntary sector. However, partnerships with schools and centrally-deployed staff require
further development, particularly in relation to service roles, remits and functions to maximise
service impact on children and young people.
Staff in the EPS were very positive about working in the service; they felt that teamwork was
strong. They had an effective professional development and training programme to develop new
skills and improve their practices. Staff had good opportunities for joint working, particularly in
the pre-school sector.
4. How good is the service’s delivery of key processes?
The EPS was delivering a broad range of services with regard to consultation and advice,
assessment and intervention. It had not yet established robust mechanisms for monitoring the
quality of these services or ways of improving them.
The service played a key role in the training and development of other professionals including
school staff and educational support staff. For example, courses on autism, and lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender issues.
The service was committed to research and development and had undertaken significant projects
on behaviour and the needs of looked after children 1. This work should be more effectively
disseminated across the education authority.
Equality and fairness were embedded in service practice.
5. How good is the service’s management?
The operations manager (psychology) and area principal educational psychologists effectively
promoted the work of the service. Together, they had worked to improve service recruitment
and retention levels in order to extend the range of provision being delivered across the authority.
The service had produced a range of policies which encouraged consistency and supported
practice development.
The service had developed strong partnerships with a range of external agencies. However, they
had yet to involve stakeholders in the review, development and improvement of services.
1
2
The term ‘looked after’ in this report includes all children looked after or looked after and accommodated by the Council.
6. How good is leadership?
Service managers supported innovation. They encouraged staff to contribute suggestions to
enhance the quality of service delivery. Staff reported that there had been positive developments
and changes in the service over the last 18 months. They felt that there was greater consistency
of expectation and practice. The operations manager (psychology) and area principal educational
psychologists understood the need to review their approach to performance management.
The service had conducted a number of self-evaluation exercises in the past but this had not been
focused on impact and outcomes and had resulted in improvement in only a few instances.
Key strengths
The service had:
•
developed a broad range of services in relation to consultation and advice, assessment and
intervention;
•
effectively promoted research across the service presenting findings at conferences;
•
established strong partnership working with external agencies, and;
•
made very good use of training and development activities to improve their practices.
Main points for action
The service should:
•
develop a comprehensive MIS system to better monitor the impact its action has on
improving outcomes for children and young people;
•
involve all key stakeholders in service development and improvement particularly children
and young people, centrally-deployed staff and staff in educational provisions, and;
•
ensure targets for improvement highlight impact and outcomes for service users, particularly
children and young people, and are more closely linked to education authority priorities.
3
What happens next?
The authority has been asked to prepare an action plan indicating how it will address the main
findings of the report. HMIE will maintain contact with the authority and will make a return
visit within two years to evaluate progress.
Annette Bruton
HM Chief Inspector
Directorate 5
June 2007
4
Appendix 1
Quality Indicator
Improvements in performance
Fulfilment of statutory duties
Impact on children and young people
Impact on parents, carers and families
Impact on education establishments
Impact on the education function of the authority
Impact on staff
Consultation and advice
Assessment
Intervention
Provision of professional development and training for
other groups including parents, teachers and health
professionals
Research and strategic development
Inclusion, equality and fairness
Policy development and review
Participation of stakeholders
Operational planning
Partnership working
Leadership and direction
Leadership of change and improvement
Evaluation
Adequate
Good
Adequate
Good
Adequate
Adequate
Very good
Good
Good
Good
Very good
Very good
Good
Good
Weak
Good
Very good
Adequate
Adequate
5
How can you contact us?
HMIE Feedback and Complaints Procedure
Should you wish to comment on any aspect of education authority inspections you should
write in the first instance to Annette Bruton, HMCI, at HM Inspectorate of Education,
Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.
If you have a concern about this report, you should write in the first instance to our
Complaints Manager, HMIE Business Management Unit, Second Floor, Denholm House,
Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston, EH54 6GA. You can also e-mail
HMIEComplaints@hmie.gsi.gov.uk. A copy of our complaints procedure is available from
this office, by telephoning 01506 600200 or from our website at www.hmie.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the action we have taken at the end of our complaints procedure,
you can raise your complaint with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). The
SPSO is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about Government
departments and agencies. You should write to the SPSO, Freepost EH641,
Edinburgh EH3 0BR. You can also telephone 0800 377 7330 (fax 0800 377 7331) or
e-mail: ask@spso.org.uk. More information about the Ombudsman’s office can be obtained
from the website: www.spso.org.uk.
Crown Copyright 2007
HM Inspectorate of Education
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The work of HM Inspectorate of Education
HM Inspectors undertake first-hand, independent evaluations of the quality of education. We
publish our evaluation in clear and concise reports. Our inspections and reviews report on the
establishment’s pursuit of continuous improvement through the process of self-evaluation.
We ensure that inspection and review activities include the full range of pupils, students and
participants in an educational establishment, giving due regard, without unfair discrimination,
to disability awareness, equality and inclusion, child protection and racial equality.
Each year we also investigate and publish reports on key aspects of education. Our collation,
analysis and publication of the evidence and conclusions from all evaluations identify and
promote best practice in continuous improvement. We draw on the results of our evaluations,
and our overall knowledge of the system, to provide independent professional advice to the
Scottish Ministers, relevant departments of the Scottish Executive and others.
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