Specialist and Outreach Teams: Educational Psychology Service

Educational psychologists are registered health professionals who specialise in child development and learning. They work with families, settings and children’s social care. They also work with other support and outreach teams within the education system to support children and young people’s learning and social and emotional development to secure positive outcomes in the future.

Pyramid Planning Meetings (PPM)

In Doncaster we work within a consultation model, we are a relatively small service and to work effectively we hold Pyramid Planning Meetings (PPMs).
These take place across 4 Areas (North, South, East and Central).
There are PPMs each term for each Pyramid.
A Pyramid is the secondary school/s and all of its primary feeders*.
Each pyramid is covered by an EP and an Assistant EP.
Also attending these meeting are colleagues from the Autism Social Communication Education and Training Service (ASCETS), Behavioural Outreach Support Service (BOSS), Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) but there can be colleagues from other services attending, eg, Speech and Language Therapy (SALT), Special Educational Needs Coordinators etc.
School SENDCOs are expected to attend the meeting which is held at a volunteer host school in the Pyramid. If the SENDCO is unable to attend, a representative from their school should attend in their place (eg, Inclusion Manager, Deputy Head or Headteacher).
The meetings are an opportunity for schools and services to get together, discuss next steps for children and share good practice.
Schools are expected to come to the PPMs prepared, with relevant information and having sought verbal parental consent if a child is going to be discussed.
Collectively, possible solutions are proposed with opportunity for neighbouring schools to share good practice, resources and, even, to provide training.
Where appropriate one (or more) of the agencies at the meeting may become involved (if they’re not already).
At the end of the meeting all parties will have made dates with the schools to complete work across the term if applicable and the next meeting date will be set at a convenient time and date.

Educational Psychology Terms of reference Pyramid Planning Meetings: Download (46KB - DOCX)

Consultation Surgery

Twice a term all schools will be offered an opportunity for a Consultation Surgery with their Educational Psychologist.
These are 1 hour consultations that focus on discussing difficulties in the school or next steps for children and young people on a 1:1 basis between the EP and the SENDCO.
Schools are expected to attend Pyramid Planning Meetings initially to be able to arrange a Consultation Surgery with the EP, as this is where Consultation Surgeries are organised.
Any discussion about particular children that takes place on an consultation surgery should be done with written parental consent, it is the responsibility of the SENDCO to seek this before discussion with the EP.
During a Consultation Surgery the SENDCO sets the agenda, this may be whole school discussions, whole class discussion or discussion about an individual child.
The Consultation serves as a way for the EP and the SENDCO to problem solve together and to come to next steps jointly.