Essex County Council
SENCO Manual 2007
Essex County Council
SEN and Children with
Additional Needs
Educational Psychology Service
Information for Schools
Ref:
First issue:
SM1/5.5
April 2002
Essex County Council
SENCO Manual 2007
Educational Psychology Service
The Educational Psychology Service
Educational Psychologists (EPs)contribute to the identification, assessment
and monitoring of children with special educational needs.
Each educational psychologist is a member of an Area team managed by an
Area Senior Educational Psychologist.
The Psychology Service is managed by the Principal Educational
Psychologist within the SEN and Disability Support Services.
Allocation of time
Educational psychology time is allocated to each school to cover work related
to the pupils in the school. The amount of time allocated is based on the
formula used to delegate Special Educational Needs (SEN) money to schools.
In this way, schools across the county each receive an equitable distribution
of the service related to proxy indicators of special educational needs.
General advice and support for a range of SEN issues may also be secured
from both educational psychologists and specialist teachers involved in the
SEN/LDG clusters.
Qualifications and Experience
Essex Educational Psychologists have:

a first degree in psychology (or equivalent)

a teaching qualification

a range of teaching experience, with a minimum of two years teaching

a Masters degree - professional training as an EP
Essex EPs are eligible for membership of:

Association of Educational Psychologists
 British Psychological Society
 Chartered Psychologist status
Ref:
First issue:
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April 2002
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Essex County Council
SENCO Manual 2007
Skills of Educational Psychologists
EPs are applied psychologists with training and skills in:

child and adolescent development

intervention

assessment

problem-solving

consultation

in-service training

research and project work

counselling

monitoring and evaluation

organisational and systems development

statistics and analysis of data
With this diverse range of specialist skills and experience, the team of
educational psychologists is able to make a unique and broad contribution in
supporting schools to include children with special educational needs.
How educational psychologists can help
The work that educational psychologists carry out is varied, but falls into two
main categories:

direct or indirect work with individual children and young people who are
having problems in their development and education

consultation work and training with parents, teachers and other
professionals to promote good practice with all children and young people
Educational psychologists also work in some instances with assistant
educational psychologists. Together, they act as a team to support the school.
The specific role of the Assistant EP is to:

work closely with the SENCO to plan and implement quality IEPs
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First issue:
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April 2002
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Essex County Council
SENCO Manual 2007

support the school in implementing strategies for individual pupils and at a
whole school level

assist the EP through the collection of information to determine appropriate
intervention
Like EPs, Assistant EPs are trained and experienced teachers with a first
degree in psychology.
How service delivery is organised
EP services are provided to children who are:
 of pre-school age
 at mainstream school
 attending Essex special schools or units
 attending out-county schools
 post-16, if at school
Each educational psychologist is allocated to a Local Delivery Group of
Schools and provides a full range of services to the children living within this
area. This enables the service to be delivered in an equitable way and allows
the EP to get to know a local cluster of schools.
The Local Delivery Groups of schools usually consists of:
 two or three secondary schools
 their feeder primary schools
 special schools / specialist resourced based
 pre-school children
Making best use of the Service
The following suggestions have all been found to be useful by schools and
EPs in making the best use of the time available: A Planned Programme
The educational psychologist will hold an annual meeting with each school
to plan the use of the allocated time based on service and school priorities.
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First issue:
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Essex County Council
SENCO Manual 2007
This planning will usually occur annually or termly and may involve the
assistant EP. Information that informs the planning includes the number of
children on the Essex School Based Approaches, the nature of the
learning difficulties within the school, and the delegated SEN budget.
Visits will be spread out evenly during the year although different
arrangements can be made as agreed.
 Information
Prior to the visit, it is helpful if schools prepare the following information:

relevant, up-to-date information outlining concerns and actions taken

individual education plans

summaries of discussions with parents/other agencies
 Planning for visits
When individual pupils are to be discussed, observed/ assessed, or
parents met, particular plans will need to be made for the EP’s visit to
ensure the time is used to best effect. It is most helpful if an agenda is
jointly planned before the visit and appropriate time allocated to each
task or meeting during the visit.
It will help if:
 a named member of staff (usually the SENCO) acts as liaison

appropriate staff are available for meetings

the conduct of meetings with parents/other agencies is planned prior to
the visit

meetings are held in rooms that are free from distraction and
interruptions
Where an EP is to work with a pupil during the visit, especially in the case of
assessment of the pupil, the school must discuss the involvement with the
parent or carer beforehand and obtain permission. In the case of EP
assessment, parents should usually be given a chance to talk to the EP.
If a child is absent on the day of the planned visit, the EP should be informed
as early as possible.
Improving the Service
Educational psychologists are committed to achieving the full range of
SENCAN operational standards. In addition, every year, head teachers have
an opportunity to comment on the quality of the service.
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SENCO Manual 2007
However, compliments and concerns are welcome at any time. If concerns
should arise about service delivery, the first step should always be to discuss
the matter with the educational psychologist concerned. If this does not
resolve the matter, then contact the Area Senior EP. All concerns will be
responded to promptly.
West
The Area Senior EP
Brays House,
Tracyes Road,
Harlow,
Essex. CM18 6EH
(covers Epping Forest, Uttlesford & Harlow)
Tel: 01279 439518
Fax: 01279 430579
South
(covers Basildon, Brentwood, Castle Point & Rochford Districts)
The Area Senior EP
The Knares,
Basildon,
Essex. SS16 5RX
Tel: 01268 632338
Fax: 01268 632344
North East
(covers Colchester & Tendring Districts)
The Area Senior EP
Park Road,
Colchester.
Essex. C03 3UP
Tel: 01206 711141
Fax: 01206 711108
Mid
(covers Braintree, Chelmsford, Burnham & Maldon Districts)
The Area Senior EP
Crossman House,
Station Approach,
Braintree,
Essex. CM7 3QA
Tel: 01376 555672
Fax: 01376 550077
Ref:
First issue:
SM1/5.5
April 2002
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Essex County Council
SENCO Manual 2007
SEN and Children with
Additional Needs
Your Educational Psychology
Contact Details
Educational Psychologist: ………………………………………….
Administrative Support: …………………………………………….
Phone Number: ……………………………………………………..
Senior Educational Psychologist: …………………………………
Ref:
First issue:
SM1/5.5
April 2002
6