Working with the Educational Psychology Service
Contents
- Working with the Educational Psychology Service
- Delivery of the Educational Psychology Service
- Educational Psychology Service Partnership Agreement
Working with the Educational Psychology Service
The Educational Psychology Service (EPS) supports children and young people to achieve positive outcomes throughout their education. As Educational Psychologists (EPs) we work to support inclusive education for all students including those with special educational needs (SEN).
We support a range of needs and bring a psychological perspective to problem-solving to improve learning and wellbeing.
The service is made up of educational psychologists, assistant educational psychologists and trainee educational psychologists, who all work together to support children, young people, families and settings.
Educational psychologists are practitioner psychologists, registered with the HCPC (Health & Care Professionals Council), who have extensive experience and training in applying psychology to achieve the best outcomes for young people with varying needs in education.
Our Local Offer
Through the application of psychological knowledge and skills, we aim to help children and young people (from birth to 25 years) overcome barriers to achieve successful learning and personal well-being.
These barriers might arise from:
- learning difficulties and special educational needs
- social, emotional or mental health needs
- physical, medical or sensory needs
- communication and language needs
The EP Service provides support at a statutory level as well as promoting early intervention through our commissioned services.
Statutory support
The Educational Psychology Service offers statutory support for the EHC assessment process and for critical incidents.
Every Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) requires an assessment by an Educational Psychologist. Assessments will identify a child or young person’s special educational needs and recommend appropriate provision to meet the needs identified.
At West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), EPs work collaboratively within a consultation framework with those who know the young person best. We use both face-to-face and virtual consultations to identify strengths and areas for support.
Due to a national shortage of EPs, we are actively recruiting and have commissioned associate EPs from across the UK to help improve assessment timeliness. Most statutory EP assessments are currently conducted remotely.
We remain committed to producing thorough, robust and accurate reports which will inform and be drawn upon in determining whether an EHC Plan will be issued.
The Educational Psychologist will communicate with parents/carers and setting staff as key partners, who know the young person best, to understand their needs through discussion and analysis. This collaborative approach often provides deeper insights than observing the young person in a single context.
Based upon what they know of the child/young person’s background and type of need, the EP will decide on the nature of the work they do (this may include phone calls, video meetings and questionnaires).
What might I, as a parent or carer, be asked to do?
You will be invited to meet with the EP, who will guide the conversation with key questions. No preparation is needed, though you may wish to reflect on your aspirations for your child in advance. Occasionally, a questionnaire may be requested.
Will the EP meet the young person if the assessment is remote?
For those aged 13+, the EP will try to speak with them directly. For younger children, the EP will work with parents/carers to decide the best approach to gather their views. The EP may speak to your child on-screen but this will depend on your child and what they are comfortable with.
What else might the EP do?
With consent, the EP may consult other professionals who are involved and review educational data.
What happens next?
The EP will submit a Psychological Advice report to the local authority and parents/carers will also be given a copy. This report, along with other reports commissioned for the EHCNA will help to determine whether an EHC Plan should be issued and, if so, what it should contain.
Can I request a face-to-face assessment?
Currently, due to high levels of demand, most statutory EP assessments are remote. We have taken care to recruit associate EPs who will be diligent in gathering information to provide a clear picture of special needs.
For the majority of EP assessments, the main source of evidence comes from views shared by parents/caregivers and school/setting staff who know the young person best.
This remains the same for remote assessments. At present, it is not possible to request a face-to-face assessment. However, we are confident that remote assessments provide the details required to ensure a thorough report is provided.
Following traumatic incidents, we provide support and advice to the senior leadership team of settings to help them manage the situation to reduce psychological distress.
Support involves:
- guiding schools / other educational settings to manage the immediate response in respect of a particular event and situation, supporting them to promote psychological wellbeing and recovery of the school community
- advising on best practice to the educational setting’s senior leadership team regarding the plans they are making for communication to, and support for, their school community
- identifying and providing the most relevant resource materials from the EPS or other organisations to help schools/settings implement, produce and evaluate their School emergency plans and procedures
- providing psychoeducation to education setting staff for their own use and / or to pass on to children, young people and parents
You can download our leaflet for support following a critical incident.
Early Intervention Work
Early intervention work is offered on a commissioned basis, covering a range of offers described below.
Schools/settings can buy in days of EP time to work collaboratively through a consultation approach to best meet the needs of the children and young people in their setting.
Traded work can include:
- systemic or capacity-building support through training and development
- individual assessments for children
- support to plan and review interventions at a pupil, group or whole class level
- training
Find support for existing Annual Partnership Agreements with us.
TaMHS is a joint initiative by North and West Northamptonshire EPS, supporting early intervention and mental health promotion in schools. TaMHS courses are funded by the Virtual School and are free to attend.
ELSA training and supervision are delivered jointly by North and West Northamptonshire EPS to help schools support pupils’ emotional needs through the upskilling of their own staff.
Trained by educational psychologists, ELSAs learn to deliver tailored interventions that build emotional literacy, resilience, and social skills. After training, they attend half-termly group supervision with an EP to enable them to fulfil their ELSA role in school.
Training includes five full days and is subsidised by the local authority at £350 per ELSA. Schools then commission supervision at £350 per year for six sessions.
For more information, contact: [email protected].
The Northamptonshire Baby Room Project is a three-session programme of learning for anyone working with or caring for babies under two years of age. These sessions aim to raise the quality of babies’ experiences by strengthening the relationships between practitioners and babies, and parents and their babies.
The EPS provides subsidised group supervision for SENCOs to share good practice and engage in collaborative problem solving. Sessions run every half term.
To request more information please contact [email protected].
MeLSA is a training and supervision programme developed by educational psychologists and delivered jointly by North and West Northamptonshire EPS. It builds capacity in schools to support independent learning in students. The training focuses on the psychology of learning and a type of support known as mediation, which empowers learners to become independent thinkers.
MeLSA is a universal intervention suitable across age groups and educational stages, and can be used with individuals, small groups, or whole classes.
School staff attend six days of initial training, followed by half-termly supervision sessions.
To express interest in MeLSA training for 2026, please email: [email protected].
The EPS is working with the Inclusion and Intervention Support Team (IIST) and a local partnership to offer AET training. AET, led by the National Autistic Society, promotes positive education experiences for autistic learners and celebrates neurodiversity.
Resources are co-developed with autistic young people, parents/carers, and a range of professionals and specialists.
Training can be booked for individual settings or attended online.
Training costs:
- £275 for a whole-school twilight session
- £75 per person
- £450 for a half-day session
- £150 per person
To express interest, email: [email protected].
The EPS has developed a menu of options that all schools/settings in West Northamptonshire can choose from to receive support from an assistant educational psychologist. No Partnership Agreement is required.
There are a number of options including:
- online training events
- face-to-face training at a school/ setting for a number of staff
- support to work alongside staff in a setting to set up and implement groupwork
Each option includes follow up support to assist in the specific implementation of the approach in your school/setting. As always, all of the work will be supervised by a qualified EP.
As a traded service, there will be a charge for each of the options. Details of our open events are available via Eventbrite.
You can download a copy of our universal offer brochure for further information about our courses and groupwork topics.
Assistant Educational Psychologist Groupwork Sessions
To express an interest in booking group work support from the Educational Psychology Service, complete our online form.
Last updated 08 September 2025