As psychologists we strive to make a difference, enabling positive change for children and young people. We are skilled in understanding children's development, school and family systems.
Who are we?
We are a passionate, creative and friendly team of over 30 Educational Psychologists (EP) working in 3 bases across Derbyshire:
- Buxton
- Chesterfield
- Denby
Educational psychologists (EP) have extensive training and qualifications relating to education and child development. Every EP has, as an absolute minimum, 7 years of training before they become qualified. This includes an undergraduate degree in psychology, training in research and statistical analysis as well as direct experience in education followed by a doctorate (or previously a masters) in applied child and educational psychology.
The majority of EP in Derbyshire are trained to doctoral level and all EP are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council. This makes EP uniquely placed to offer support on a wide range of issues and ensures we are continually adhering to a clear code of ethics in our work.
We have strong links with local universities who provide educational psychology doctorate training. We have several trainee educational psychologists working in our service and value the breadth of new knowledge and skills that they bring. We are a well-established, highly regarded and positively evaluated service.
For further information, please read the 'EPS Impact Evaluation 2025' document found in the 'Related Documents' section of this page.
What we do
We work collaboratively with children, young people, families and schools to holistically explore and understand complex situations. We use applied psychology and a range of tools and approaches to promote well-being, maximise inclusion and support positive educational outcomes.
The work an Educational Psychologist undertakes can include:
- Assessment (e.g. pupil views, observation, dynamic assessment etc)
- Consultation (e.g. facilitating problem solving discussions using person centred approaches)
- Training (bespoke training underpinned by psychological research)
- Intervention (e.g. therapeutic approaches, reflective supervision etc)
- Research (as research practitioners we can apply these skills at all levels of our work as well as undertake commissioned research projects)
Who do we work with?
All schools in Derbyshire can subscribe to the Educational Psychology Service and can choose how much time they wish to purchase. Schools can visit Services for Schools (S4S) - Educational Psychology for further details regarding subscription and purchasing.
Subscribing schools have a linked educational psychologist. The work that the educational psychologist will do is agreed with a member of staff from the school, usually the headteacher or SENDCO. If parents have concerns about their child, they should raise this with school staff in the first instance.
Support for non-subscribing schools is limited to statutory work or critical incident support only. All schools can request to 'spot-purchase' further work in addition to the subscription, subject to service capacity.
Referrals to support pre-school children who are not in a maintained setting can be made to our service via the Early Years SEN Panel. We do not have set criteria for our involvement but would expect referrals to show:
- Evidence of the graduated response to meeting the child's needs and the impact this has had. This could include:
- Evidence of social and emotional needs (there might be other needs alongside) that are:
- persisting despite appropriate support and
- providing a significant barrier to the child's development and/or inclusion in the setting and/or are causing concern for upcoming transition to school.
We are also commissioned by the Local Authority (e.g., to undertake statutory work as part of the Education Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) process, to support with critical incidents etc.) as well as a range of other organisations. Examples of this work include providing professional supervision, offering training, and engaging in research and projects. Schools can find out more about our commissioning work on Services for Schools (S4S) Educational Psychology resources page.
Contact us
Telephone: 01629 533815
Email: EDPsych.Adminripley@derbyshire.gov.uk
Dr. Heather Northcote, Principal Educational Psychologist
Email: Heather.northcote@derbyshire.gov.uk
Further information
For further information about the EPS service, including guides and resources, please see our S4S resources page:
Services for Schools - Educational Psychology Resources