The assessment includes intelligence, processing, memory, literacy and maths. Any other concerns you have can also be explored, such as emotional needs, attention, social skills, sensory processing, motor skills, and behaviour difficulties. ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and ASD (autism spectrum disorder) can be screened for but formal diagnosis requires assessment from a team of health professionals. The assessment can also identify whether children are intellectually gifted.

The report takes up to 4 weeks.

If there is evidence that your child has a learning difficulty then this will be clearly explained and diagnosed. Sometimes recommendations are made for referrals to other professionals for additional assessments and to receive a specific program of support to help your child if needed.

Schools/nurseries cannot refuse to accept reports by qualified professionals. I am a fully qualified Chartered Educational Psychologist (EP) and registered with relevant bodies, including the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). Schools/nurseries have a duty of care to try to implement recommendations from professionals, as is reasonable from within their available resources. If your child’s school/nursery has any questions they are welcome to contact me.

If a child has severe and complex needs, then parents/carers may wish to request an EHC assessment from their Local Authority. You can use an educational psychology report as part of this process, but it does not guarantee that the Local Authority will agree to carry out an EHC assessment. The report will clearly explain your child’s strengths and any barriers affecting their learning. This information can be used by you and your child’s school/nursery to plan ways for meeting your child’s needs and helping them make progress. Please note I do not offer Tribunal services.

We start at 9am and your child will have breaks as and when they need. Most assessments finish at lunch time, though some children take longer or need more breaks. Children are usually tired after the assessment, so most parents/carers withdraw them from school for the day, so that they can rest afterwards.

Fees are listed on the referral form. An invoice will be sent to you after the assessment and payment must be made within 3 days. Payment is made by bank transfer. If a school or other organisation is paying, then the fees just be paid in full 3 weeks prior to the assessment.

I recommend sharing the report with your child’s school/nursery and arranging a meeting to plan next steps. There will be suggestions for strategies, interventions and resources to help your child with areas of difficulty. You can discuss all of these with your child’s education setting. It may help to write down some questions and send them to the school/nursery in advance of the meeting. If there are any questions about the report, please contact me.

Once an assessment date has been set you will receive an information sheet to share with your child. You could say to your child that we will be doing some activities that help me understand their strengths and how they learn. My job is to give teachers ideas for how they can help your child with things they might find difficult at school, such as concentrating, learning, feeling happy and talking with other children.