Education Psychology Service
Educational psychologists (EPs) help children and young people (C/YP) between the ages of 0-25 who are experiencing learning differences, social and emotional challenges, neurodiversity or developmental issues. EPs are highly trained in many aspects of psychology, and have a deep understanding of how children and young people develop. EPs use psychology to help C/YP and families understand their situations and collaborate on how to move forward.
Who are we?
We are a team of Educational Psychologists, Trainee Educational Psychologists and Assistant Psychologists who apply psychology to support the wellbeing and progress of children and young people aged 0 - 25 years.
Who do we support?
Educational Psychologists work with and support:
- Children and young people (C/YP)
- Parents, carers and families
- School staff such as teachers and teaching assistants
- Educational settings
EPs support schools and families in many different ways. Their work can take many different forms and may involve working with families and C/YP directly or working with the educational setting. Often, EPs visit educational settings to support C/YP with their learning, wellbeing and experiences in school.
EPs work with many different C/YP of different ages, from early years to young people who are preparing for adulthood. Their work will often involve listening to and understanding each unique situation from many different perspectives including parents carers, school staff and of course CYP themselves.
EPs use these perspectives and psychology to generate questions about the CYP's current situation and explore with the family, staff and young person ways these questions can be answered to help the young person and family move forward. EPs can support with this process by bringing their knowledge of child development and psychology.
What do we do?
The work an Educational Psychologist completes can take many different forms – in Telford & Wrekin it most often involves:
- Talking with and listening to key adults who know the C/YP well
- Direct work with C/YP to find out their views and wishes
- Coaching / supervision for school staff
- Professional development and training for staff teams (‘CPD’)
Our Projects
Telford and Wrekin (TAW) EPS runs the ELSA initiative across Telford schools. ELSA stands for Emotional Literacy Support Assistant. During the training, school staff learn about understanding feelings and how to help children manage their emotions. After the training, ELSAs get ongoing support from the EP service.
How to access the EP service
Beyond their role in the statutory assessment process, involvement from TAW EPS is commissioned by schools. If you are a parent carer looking for EP involvement, please speak to the SENCo at your child's educational setting.