An educational psychologist is concerned with helping children or young people who are experiencing problems within an educational setting with the aim of enhancing their learning.
The Inclusion Manager will make a referral to an educational psychologist with you if the strategies that the school have put in place have not helped your child to make progress.
The challenges that a child may be referred for include social or emotional problems or learning difficulties. Work is with individual pupil or groups, advising:
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teachers
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parents
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social workers
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other professionals
An educational psychologist will spend time getting to know your child, either by observing them in a variety of settings or, taking time to put a child at ease before beginning the formal assessment process. They will conduct a variety of tests and sub-tests to pin-point areas of difficulty and explain their findings in plain English.
Our Educational Psychologist is called Louise Stevenson, she is part of Portsmouth City Council's team of ten educational psychologists and registered with the Health Professions Council.
Once the educational psychologist has completed these assessments and observations you will be invited to a meeting with the Inclusion Manager, class teacher and a relevant member of the support staff to discuss findings and gain a whole picture of your child. The Educational Psychologist will then recommend strategies for home and school to help your child overcome their barriers to learning. Later you will receive a report which will have these recommendations in writing.
How to contact Louise Stevenson:
For more information, you can phone 023 9268 8781 or contact the Educational Psychology Service, Floor 2 Core 1, Portsmouth City Council Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2EA