Education Psychology Team: Access to Learning

Notes for Guidance

• The headteacher or delegated person will prioritise and make arrangements for the EP's visit and for relevant staff to be available to take part.
• The Consultation Request is filled out when an issue is prioritised by the school for the educational psychologist's next school visit
• The Consultation Request forms the basis of the consultation meeting between the member(s) of staff most concerned and the EP and without it, the consultation meeting cannot proceed.
• The completed form is retained by the school in preparation for the EP's visit.
• After discussion with the headteacher (or delegated person), the teacher who is most concerned (usually the classteacher or the form tutor) completes the Consultation Request by answering the questions raised on pages 1 to 4.  This is usually carried out in consultation with the school's link person, e.g. Head of Year and/or SENCo.
• The Consultation Request is kept by the school for the educational psychologist's next visit to the school. Two additional copies of the Consultation Request Form are required, one to be retained by the school and one to be given to the parents at the consultation meeting.
• When the concern is about an individual pupil it is expected and required that parents/carers will have already been involved in discussing the school's concerns and in trying to find solutions, and will have given consent to the EP becoming involved.
• School records will also need to have been consulted so that the Consultation Request can be completed fully, especially the section on the involvement of other agencies.
• In the case of individual pupils it is expected that parents/carers will be invited to the initial consultation meeting.
• The final page recording the "Agreed Actions", is written up by the EP during the consultation and confirmed with those present.
• The Record of Consultation is usually typed and returned to school and parents/carers, or may be left in school in hand-written form at the end of a visit.