Schools &
Professional Bodies
Working with Schools & Colleges
Assessments and Consultations:
Ways of working with schools can vary, but the constant theme is working together with each other’s expertise to help deliver the best outcomes for the child/young person being assessed.
Prior communication with the school/college is essential prior to any assessment or consultation to gain the school/college’s perspective on the child/young person. This contributes to both the planning of an assessment or consultation and to the subsequent understanding that emerges from our involvement. Understanding any support that the school/college may already have given and the child/young person’s responses to that is also important.
Ideally an assessment takes place in school/college as this is the child/young person’s key learning environment and will take at least all morning.
A consultation can take place either at school or at home and is shorter at 1 to 2 hours long, focussing most of all on a joint problem solving process with the adults who work and know the student around what has triggered the referral. It may also involve a short 1:1 session with the individual.
Assessments:
For exam arrangements: Working with the school/college is also essential in order to validate and meet JCQ regulations if we are doing an assessment exploring eligibility and providing evidence forthe application for specific exam arrangements.
For EHCP requests and assessment: We can also offer assessments that can contribute to an EHCP Assessment Request or an EHCP Annual Review.
Online Consultations:
A flexible, collaborative option for parents (and, where appropriate, schools) who want to talk through concerns about a child or young person, gain clearer understanding, explore practical strategies and be signposted to the most appropriate next steps. Sessions can be held with parents alone, with the child/young person if they are willing, with school staff discussing the child anonymously, or jointly with parents and school and/or parents and child together. It is typically offered as a one-off consultation with a review (two hours in total, delivered as two one-hour sessions), though a small number of follow-up sessions can be helpful for ongoing concerns. The approach draws on established consultation practice (including Patsy Wagner’s principles), solution-focused brief therapeutic methods and Personal Construct psychology, with an emphasis on co-constructing a shared formulation, strengthening the consultee’s confidence and reflective capacity, grounding thinking in psychological theory and evidence and agreeing realistic actions which are reviewed and evaluated together. READ MORE
ELSA:
A school-based approach which provides targeted emotional and social support for children and young people through trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs), often Teaching Assistants or specialist school staff. ELSAs complete a recognised training programme and receive ongoing supervision from Educational Psychologists, which is central to safe and effective practice. ELSA support can help with areas such as anxiety, emotional regulation, self-esteem, friendships and relationships, bullying, bereavement and managing strong feelings, with research indicating a positive impact on wellbeing and development. READ MORE.
We can also offer Training for Schools:
Examples of training sessions are:
- Attachment Difficulties and Practical Strategies in School
- The Use of Personal Construct Psychology in School to Ascertain the Pupil’s Core Constructs and Views on Life
- Memory and Strategies to Help Improve Memory for Learning
- Self Esteem and Behaviour Management
- Pupil-friendly target setting
- Dyslexia
- ADHD
- Autism
- Empowering learning
- Dyscalculia
Support:
We can also offer clinics, where teachers can bring concerns anonymously to help support their mainstream support and next steps.
Local Research & Evaluations:
We support schools and local organisations to reflect and evaluate the impact of initiatives and interventions, creating space for learning. Find out more here.
The Process
Further Services Available
Caro Strover-Green & Associates work across all age ranges, from infant to adult learning working directly with individuals, schools and professional bodies.
Please select the category relating to the age range in which you are wanting assistance.