About us
Aberdeenshire Educational Psychology Service is an innovative and dynamic Service committed to:
- Developing effective partnerships with schools and other agencies through a consultation framework
- Preventative interventions based on applied psychological research
- Supporting inclusion and raising educational attainment
HMIe Inspection
During summer 2007 the service was inspected by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education. Aberdeenshire EPS successfully met the challenge and demonstrated high levels of positive impact on children and families and effective contributions to the wider Education Authority. Our consultation model of service delivery and our leadership have been particularly highlighted as some of the service's major strengths. The HMIe report is now published and available.
The Role of Aberdeenshire EPS in A Curriculum for Excellence
The functions and roles of our service are directly linked to the four capacities that A Curriculum for Excellence is aiming to develop in young people. Please see below for a full overview.
Aberdeenshire Educational Psychology Service supports a school population of over 39,000 pupils over 17 Area networks in the picturesque North East of Scotland.
The Service is led by a Principal Educational Psychologist and consists of three teams, located in North, Central and South Aberdeenshire. Each team benefits from the support of:
- a Depute Principal Educational Psychologist
- a Senior Educational Psychologist
- Main Grade Educational Psychologists
- an Educational Psychologist in Training, as appropriate, and
an Assistant Educational Psychologist.
There are 3 EPS teams across Aberdeenshire namely Central, North and South:
Central Team covers Ellon, Huntly, Inverurie, Kemnay, Meldrum, Turriff and Westhill Community School Networks
North Team covers Banff, Fraserburgh, Mintlaw and Peterhead Community School Networks
South Team covers Aboyne, Alford, Banchory, Mearns, Portlethen and Stonehaven Community School Networks
Educational Psychologists will normally work within a specific Community School Network but will often participate or lead activities across Aberdeenshire.
All psychologists abide by the Ethics and Code of Conduct outlined by the British Psychological Society.
Aberdeenshire Educational Psychology practice is guided by the Review of Provision of Educational Psychology Services in Scotland (2002) which affirmed the role of psychological services as an integral part of the local authority structure. According to the Currie report, Educational Psychologists contribute across 3 levels, namely:
- The child and family
- The Education Establishment
- The Local Authority
and 5 core areas of work:
- Consultation
- Assessment
- Intervention
- Training
- Research
In Aberdeenshire Educational Psychology Service, team members enjoy formal and informal supervision/support on a regular basis. This takes the form of both line management and peer support. This support is further extended through regular team meetings and whole service development days.
Core Principles
Aberdeenshire EPS base their everyday practice on a number of core principles and values using a range of practice tools. These can be found in the link below:
Aberdeenshire EPS promoted staff have a range ofstrategic objectives and responsibilities(pdf 89.1 kb).
Aberdeenshire EPS actively supports and encourages Continuing Professional Development and offers a wide range of opportunities, including time and funding for those wishing to undertake a Doctorate in Educational Psychology. The Service is British Psychological Society accredited in relation to the probationary year in Educational Psychology and maintains a close relationship with the two postgraduate training courses run by the University of Dundee and University of Strathclyde.
The policies and procedures which guide the Educational Psychology Service are outlined in our
and indicate that continuous improvement, based on feedback from a range of sources, is embedded in our service delivery.
Compliments and Complaints
It is the aim of Aberdeenshire Educational Psychology Service to provide the best possible service to children, families and educational establishments. Compliments and complaints help us to improve the standard of our service.
Should any aspect of our service fall below or exceed your expectations or you feel you have not been dealt with sensitively or fairly we would be pleased to hear from you. Please be assured that we value all comments and will take all into consideration. Click on the links below to read recent comments, compliments and complaints received by the Aberdeenshire EPS:-
If you wish to make a comment on any aspect of our service please download Aberdeenshire Council's Compliments and Complaints form and complete the relevant information. All personal information is strictly confidential and will only be used in order that we can respond to your comment.
Contact Educational Psychology Service
Principal Educational Psychologist
Dr John L Proctor
Aberdeenshire Council
Woodhill House (map)
Westburn Road
Aberdeen, AB16 5GJ
Tel: 01224 664272
For general enquiries email: eps@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
