Torbay Educational Psychology (EP) & Advisory Teacher Service (TEPATS) offers a range of advice, assessment, training and intervention to support children and young people 0-25 years old to schools and colleges, as detailed in thier service brochure and service users guide.

• They are the main provider of psychological services to schoolsand collages within torbay, through individualschooland college service level agreements.
• They are the sole provider, funded by Torbay Local Authority, to carry out statutory work in Torbay in order to identify and assess children, young people and young adults with special educational needs.

They work with children and young people, families, staff and other professionals, in a range of settings applying psychology to promote positive outcomes. They can offer advice if schools or families are having difficulty helping a child to improve. They work with children who may have special educational needs, or their families that require support. They also work with children and young people who have severe and complex needs to discuss the issues and possible interventions.

You may also wish to see Resources produced by Torbay Educational Psychology to support schools.

Frequently asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I contact the service directly?

Yes, our contact details are shown on this page. However, the staff at your child’s school or nursery or you GP are the best people to contact initially if you are concerned that your child may have special educational needs.

If you contact us directly we will ether:

• pass on your concerns to your child’s school and discuss what support from us, if any, they would like us to provide within their traded services contract with us

forward any requests for statutory assessment to our SEN team, who will seek further information from your child’s school before the request can be properly considered.

 What kind of help will be given?

Your school will contact us to make a referral and arrange a consultation if necessary. We will jointly decide on an appropriate course of action in consultation with you and other adults who may be involved with your child (for example teachers or health visitors).

This will usually involve school and you implementing some sort of intervention programme or involve us carrying out some assessment work, for instance to look at your child’s learning.

Sometimes it may be appropriate to make a referral to another agency which the school or we will arrange, with your consent.

Will I be able to see what is written about my child?

Yes. Everything we record concerning your child is available for you to see. You will receive a copy of all consultation records and any reports written by us concerning your child.

What if I do not want the help of an Educational Psychologist?

If someone has referred your child they should have had your agreement beforehand. You should have received a consultation request form which requires a signature from a parent/guardian prior to any involvement from us. If you do not want our involvement then simply return the form to us and state clearly that this is the case. If you did agree but later change your mind then the involvement of the service will stop at your request.

What happens if my child goes to a school which is not in Torbay?

Some children who live in Torbay attend schools which are in Devon (i.e. in Newton Abbot, Totnes, Dartmouth etc.). Your child’s school has to have access to educational psychology but will not have purchased it from our service. We will only become involved if we are directed to do so from our SEN team in relation to statutory work.

What about exam dispensations or special arrangements for exams?

It is school’s responsibility to sort out any exam dispensations or special arrangements that your child may need in have when taking exams. Schools may choose to use their traded service time to support special exam arrangements. We can assist schools by: supporting them to complete required assessments and collect relevant evidence for them to submit to the examining board.