professional advice

Although traditionally seen within the special educational needs domain of school life, educational psychologists are also trained in working at the whole-school level and can be involved in supporting a wide variety of issues.

Access to support services within schools is always finite and educational psychologists' time allocation to schools is often taken up with the most pressing issues. Many educational psychologists, however, are now moving towards a consultation model of practice, in which they meet with teachers and work together to plan actions and interventions.

For some teachers, issues of confidentiality and school dynamics can make seeking outside support problematic. In this column, any issues can be treated in complete confidence and may help in planning the next step in working with colleagues, pupils and parents.

Common issues
Some of the issues frequently raised with educational psychologists are:

• Concerns over a pupil's learning style and whether the teaching and curriculum are appropriate.
  
• Concern over a pupil's behaviour and how best to support change for the pupil.
  
• Working with outside agencies; who to contact and how to contact them.
  
• How to raise concerns with senior members of staff and parents.
  
• Developing classroom practice to meet the needs of all pupils.
  
• Planning individual education plans, creating teaching objectives and learning goals.
  
• Seeking specific advice in relation to a particular learning difficulty, for example dyslexia, autism.
  
• Supporting the needs of bilingual pupils.
  
• Managing professional stress and maintaining a balance in meeting your own needs and those of the school and pupils.

Sources of support at school
You can seek support in the following ways:

• Discuss your concerns informally with a respected colleague in confidence.
  
• Raise your concerns with the school Senco (special educational needs coordinator). Ask for any relevant reading material or resources.
  
• Ask for a consultation with your school educational psychologist. Stress that you would simply like to share concerns and plan appropriate action at this stage; most educational psychologists welcome the opportunity to do this.

Educational psychology online
If you have any questions or issues that you would like to raise with an educational psychologist, Just for teachers can help. Email us at ep@justforteachers.co.uk, outlining your concerns in the following way: What is concerning you? What action have you taken so far? What do you hope to gain from the consultation?

You will get personal feedback to your concerns. If the issues are felt to be relevant to many teachers, they may be referred to in this column, but your anonymity and confidentiality will be fully respected.

Corinne Abisgold is an educational psychologist, writer, lecturer and curriculum developer.