Educational psychology

Our Educational Psychologists provide a service to children, young people and their families, as well as to school staff in Sheffield. We help to find solutions to worries and concerns people might have about how children are developing, progressing or learning.

All our psychologists are fully qualified. They have a degree in psychology and have undergone post graduate training. Everyone has experience in working with children and young people. Assistant psychologists and trainee psychologists work under the supervision of educational psychologists.

Who we work with

Our Educational Psychologists work with children and young people aged 0 to 25 who may have significant needs and differences that impact on their learning.

These needs may include:

communication and interaction
cognition and learning
social
emotional and mental health
sensory
physical
independence skills

We also work with school staff, parents, carers and other services across Sheffield.

What we do

Sheffield Educational Psychology Service (EPS) works under the SEND Code of Practice 2014 (Department for Education). We're a partially traded service. All Sheffield Local Authority funded schools and academies are given the opportunity to purchase time from the EPS. Schools are grouped into seven localities across the local authority. These localities are also allocated time from the EPS to be used for priorities within that locality.

Our educational psychology work

Educational psychology work might involve:

locality working (Stage 1 panels, training, complex case discussion, consultations)
traded work in schools (planning meetings, consultation, assessment, observations, pupil views, psychological interventions, annual reviews, liaison with other professionals, transition, training)
research
advice, consultation, and casework requested by the local authority linked to statutory duties; this would include the provision of psychological advice and reports to Sheffield City Council as part of the education, health and care needs assessment process or re-assessment of special educational needs; this information may be gathered through a multi-agency joint assessment meeting (JAM)
support for vulnerable groups like those in care or children/ young people supported by Social Care Services
acting as an expert witness for the local authority in special educational needs and disability (SEND) tribunals
supporting schools and settings with a planned response to a critical incident
project work to develop understanding around specific needs for example, foetal alcohol syndrome disorder and developmental language disorder