By Anita Soni and Anjam Sultana World Children’s Day was established by the United Nations in 1954, with the aim of promoting the welfare of children around the world. To mark this day we are considering how children’s welfare in England has been affected by the reduction of universal services for children and their families. Last … Continue reading “A Lament for Universal Approaches in the Early Years”
Author: Julia Howe
Mental Health Matters
By Sarah Prall As part of the training course for educational psychologists at the University of Birmingham, we have two days every year when all three groups of trainees come together. These “3 cohort days” give us a chance to get to know one another across year groups and also to spend some time looking … Continue reading “Mental Health Matters”
Representation Matters: Decolonising Education
By Anjam Sultana One of the things I am interested in as an educational psychologist, is how educational institutions influence and shape the identities of Black and minority ethnic students. What is taught in school contributes to the sense of belonging and identity that students develop. Knowledge is not neutral and what we choose to … Continue reading “Representation Matters: Decolonising Education”
Mental Health: What have educational psychologists got to do with it?
By James Birchwood On World Mental Health Day it seems a good time to consider how the work of educational psychologists can support the mental health of children and young people in our schools. Recent media coverage has focused upon a mental health “crisis” and the lack of services to support children and young people. … Continue reading “Mental Health: What have educational psychologists got to do with it?”
Wakanda, Oakland and the Eighth
By Dr. Michele Perry-Springer What do the fictional African Utopia portrayed in Marvel’s most recent blockbuster, the birth of the Black Panther Movement and the eighth young person to be stabbed to death in the UK have in common? That is the question I asked myself at 4am this morning. As a black educational psychologist … Continue reading “Wakanda, Oakland and the Eighth”
“We can’t just ask them something and expect them to tell us”
By Litsa Cosma This week is Pupil Voice Week across the UK and schools are being encouraged to help their pupils to “Use Their Voice”. Being able to support children and young people to express their views has long been regarded as a key part of what educational psychologists do. While this appears to be … Continue reading ““We can’t just ask them something and expect them to tell us””
“Hey! That’s My Hot-Desk”
By Ben Clyde As the long, hot summer draws to a close, a new term dawns. Colleagues are heading back to their offices and trainee educational psychologists will be either starting placements or their first post as a qualified EP. What many will find is quite different from the past, where one part of the … Continue reading ““Hey! That’s My Hot-Desk””
Have a podtastic summer!
Working as an educational psychologist inevitably involves a lot of time in the car and in recent years I’ve become a bit of a podcast fan. My holiday this summer will involve a lot of driving and this seems a good opportunity to explore some psychology podcasts. So I’ve spend the last few weeks sampling … Continue reading “Have a podtastic summer!”
Excluding the Smash Street Kids
By Julia Howe Today the House of Commons Education Committee published the provocatively titled report “Forgotten children: alternative provision and the scandal of ever increasing exclusions.” The report covers a complex range of factors that may be contributing to the rise in exclusions from school. These include a reduction in school finances, an increase in … Continue reading “Excluding the Smash Street Kids”
Adieu Jane
By Julia Howe Yesterday we said goodbye to one of our longstanding colleagues on the tutor team at the University of Birmingham. Jane Leadbetter has been a course tutor since 1995. Her contribution extends must further than the trainees who have benefitted from her wisdom and expertise. Jane has supervised the doctoral studies of 3 … Continue reading “Adieu Jane”