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In the UK, speech and language therapists (SLTs) and educational psychologists (EPs) are professionals who support children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). Legislative and socio-economic changes within the UK and continuing concern about poor outcomes for children with SLCN provided the impetus for a focus on interprofessional collaboration between these two groups. An online survey was distributed to qualified EPs and SLTs in the UK enquiring about facilitators and barriers to collaboration. Responses from 125 EPs and 182 SLTs were content analysed. Responses indicated that communication and working environments were key factors impacting interprofessional collaboration. Relationships and commitment to joint working were also cited as facilitators. Challenges related to reduced resourcing, staffing and changes to working environments as a result of austerity. A framework illustrating possible inter-relationships between factors is presented, indicating hypothesised pathways that could underpin planning for development and change. In summary, despite positive moves towards shared policy and guidance for children with SLCN, findings suggest that a continued focus on maximising effective interprofessional collaboration is crucial to ensure that assessment and early intervention are available to support children with speech, language and communication needs.

In the field of Educational Psychology, consultation is both a core competency to be achieved by the end of pre-service training and a practice that infuses all aspects of service delivery post-qualification. The present study aimed to explore the perspectives of university educators on preparing trainee educational psychologists to consult, especially following significant systemic change at social-political and professional standard levels. A qualitative exploratory design was chosen to inform semi-structured interviews with 14 participants from 16 universities in the United Kingdom providing post-graduate training. These interviews were analyzed thematically, with 10 over-arching themes identified. Themes are discussed across three aspects: (i) systemic factors, (ii) facilitators and barriers in consultation training in the current UK context and (iii) curriculum content and pedagogic methods used in consultation training at pre-service level. Strengths, limitations, and implications for applied practice and future research are discussed.

Aim: This research aimed to explore the impact of school-based Lego Therapy groups for adolescents with a diagnosis of ASD [autism spectrum disorder] in mainstream schools. Method/Rationale: School staff were trained in the delivery of the social skills intervention to groups comprising one adolescent with ASD and two typically developing peers. A non-concurrent multiple baseline across participants design was employed to examine the impact of the intervention for six adolescent males with ASD. Findings: Visual analysis, PAND [percentage of all non-overlapping data] effect sizes and Tau-U statistical analyses demonstrated the large positive impact of the intervention on duration of social engagement and frequency of social initiations, responses and positive social behaviours for five out of six participants. The final participant withdrew from the research. Parents and teachers saw some evidence of generalisation of skill to home and other aspects of school life but this was not consistent for all participants. Fidelity of implementation was maintained, suggesting the approach is appropriate for delivery in school settings by school staff. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that Lego Therapy groups can be an effective school-based social skills intervention for adolescents with ASD. Limitations: This research was limited by the small sample size. Future research should extend the evidence-base of Lego-based social skill groups, examining the impact of the intervention for a wider range of students with differing needs.

Psychology is a popular UK A-level, despite many pupils having no previous taught experience of it. Prior introduction to psychology teaching could help pupils make more informed choices to study it. This study evaluates a six-session introduction to psychology programme for 20 Year 9 pupils called "Myth-Busting the Brain." A pre-/post-programme questionnaire investigated pupil interest towards future psychology study, interest in the programme and approaches to learning. There was no significant difference between timepoints in interest in psychology, nor the programme itself between pre-and post-programme assessment. Overall interest in psychology was significantly correlated with interest in the programme at pre- and post-assessment. No significant changes in learning approaches were found between assessment points. However, psychology and programme interest were significantly correlated to deeper pupil learning approaches. This suggests that introductory psychology programmes may be more appealing to students with deeper learning styles. A programme of this length may not be feasible in typical teaching; hence future research could assess the effects of single sessions on psychology interest.

This study reviewed perceived changes to planning and management of transitions to adulthood for young people with special educational needs and disabilities in three local authorities in England, following implementation of the Children and Families Act (2014). Wenger's 'community of practice' theoretical framework was used to examine how groups of professionals and managers working in education, health and social care in three areas, set about implementing selected radical changes required by the legislation. Telephone interviews with sixteen participants were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. Themes identified related to professional activity, planning and organisation, implications for young people and families and outcomes. There were indications of shifts in professional conceptualisations and reported practices as a result of the Act. Participants described enhanced cross-service communication and co-ordinated working practices, achieved though service restructuring, co-location and changed lines of accountability. An increased emphasis on long-term planning and involving young people in planning and decision-making was evident with regard to defining outcomes, and living and working as an adult. The results are considered in relation to the extent that mandated change can influence attitudes and cultures within communities of practice, contributing to the contemporary theoretical debate to incorporate issues relating to power.

This paper explores trainee educational psychology doctoral students' experiences of Objective Structured Professional Assessments (OSPAs), implemented at three UK universities and involving participation in a series of timed, simulated scenarios. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed, and subjected to thematic analysis. Themes linked with cognitions included identification of learning processes (reflection, discovery, reception) or practical constraints (authenticity and timing of scenarios). Statements of emotion included positive responses (containment, reassurance, and relief) as well as more adverse reactions to the experience (anxiety and anger). Overall, the findings suggest that many students valued OSPAs as worthwhile and useful in developing professional competencies.

This study explored whether being told stories by a teacher in school 4 days a week for 10 weeks would lead to improvements in 6- and 7-year-old children's oral language, written language, and self-perception. We also explored whether these improvements would be greater than those experienced by an active comparison group that was read the same stories from books and a comparison group that continued with their usual classroom literacy practices. We used a quasi-experimental between-participants design: 194 participants took part, and classes (rather than participants) were randomly assigned to intervention conditions. Results showed that the storytelling group retold stories that were significantly longer and used a significantly wider range of vocabulary than both the group that was read the same stories and the comparison group at posttest and 3-month follow-up. The story-reading group scored significantly higher on an oral vocabulary test than the comparison group at follow-up.

Background: Physically active lessons have not often been assessed with randomized controlled trials. Aims: Evaluate the effects of the "Virtual Traveller" (VT) intervention delivered using classroom interactive whiteboards on physical activity, on-task behavior, and student engagement. Methods: Participants were 219 children aged 8 to 9 years from 10 schools in Greater London, assessed in a cluster-randomized controlled trial between March 2015 and May 2016. For 6 weeks, intervention children received 10-minute VT sessions three times a week during math and English lessons (VT group: n = 113). Children in control schools received regular teaching (COM group: n = 106). Outcomes were school-day, weekend-day, and lesson-time sedentary behavior (SB), light physical activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and on-task behavior and student engagement, assessed at baseline (T0), 2 weeks (T1), and 4 weeks (T2) during the VT intervention and 1 week (T3) and 3 months (T4) postintervention using multilevel modeling. Results: VT pupils engaged in significantly more school-day MVPA at T1 only, with no other significant differences between groups in overall school-day or weekend-day activity. VT pupils engaged in significantly less SB and more MVPA during lesson time than COM pupils. More on-task behavior was shown in VT pupils than COM pupils but there was no difference in student engagement. Discussion: VT reduced sedentary behavior and increased physical activity during lesson time but not across overall school or weekend days. VT improved on-task behavior but had no effect on student engagement. Conclusion: Physical activity can be integrated into teaching using interactive whiteboards with no detriment to educational outcomes.

Aims: The growing influence of implementation science has resulted in educational researchers exploring what occurs within schools to support intervention effectiveness. This paper provides an overview of existing research so that practitioners can understand the extent to which measures of implementation are associated with the outcomes of school-based interventions. Method: This paper systematically identified studies which correlated or directly compared the implementation of school-based interventions with pupil outcomes. Effect-sizes are reported and the strength of evidence appraised using a weight-of-evidence framework. Findings: The 13 studies reviewed reported 32 quantified effect sizes which represented the strength and direction of the relationship between measures of implementation and intervention outcomes in schools. The review also identified gaps in current evidence which have implications for further research and practice. Limitations: This review did not explore factors which supported staff to implement interventions effectively. As such, this review focusses on the effects of implementation, rather than detailed practices. Conclusions: This review found that educational researchers rarely measured fidelity of programme implementation. When fidelity is measured, there are indications that proper execution and co-ordination of evidence-based interventions is positively related to pupil outcomes. However, the measurement of implementation fidelity can be undermined when data is transformed into arbitrary categories, such as 'good' and 'bad'. The practicalities of effectively transporting evidence-based interventions into school settings are discussed.

Objective Structured Professional Assessments (OSPAs) were developed and evaluated at three universities in the United Kingdom, to supplement supervisor assessments of trainee educational psychologists' placement practice. Participating second year students on three educational psychology doctoral programmes (n = 31) and tutors (n = 12) were surveyed. Scenarios, developed with experienced practitioners, were considered authentic and relevant. Tutor feedback indicated that the marking scheme was a good basis for judgements, but required further calibration and standardisation. Strengths and limitations relating to authenticity of scenarios and practical arrangements were identified. Students considered OSPAs to be a valid assessment of communication and perspective-taking skills, although some found them to be anxiety provoking. Levels of authenticity and complexity were deemed appropriate, although there were concerns over time allowed and how the assessment criteria were interpreted. The discussion highlights how OSPAs address issues relating to assessment reliability by improving objectivity, reducing bias and providing uniformity to student assessment experiences.

This study used the Theory of Planned Behaviour to explore the attitudes, behavioural intentions and behaviour of 318 mainstream primary school children in an urban East London borough towards peers with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Pupils were presented with a vignette about a hypothetical peer with ASD then completed self-report questionnaires and peer socio-metric measures. The results showed that children's attitudes, the social pressure they felt from others and the amount of control they felt they had over their own behaviour, significantly predicted their behavioural intentions to befriend a peer with ASD. The strongest association was between perceived behavioural control and behavioural intentions. A significant association was also found between children's behavioural intentions and actual behaviour towards an included peer. Support was therefore found for the use of the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a valuable tool by which to explore the social inclusion of children with ASD.

The Children and Families Act (2014) extends statutory protections for young people with special educational needs and disabilities until age 25. Consequently the core curriculum for trainee educational psychologists (TEPs) needs to be developed beyond the current focus of work with early years and school-age children. In order to define requisite professional competencies for working with young people aged 16-25 with learning difficulties and disabilities, and mental health needs, the Delphi Technique was employed to obtain consensus amongst an expert reference group. Two rounds of an online questionnaire and a face-to-face meeting with educational psychologists (EPs) reporting expertise in working with post-16 learners enabled the identification of areas to be added to, or extended within, existing training curricula. A competency framework for EPs working with young people aged 16-25 is proposed and implications for both TEPs and practitioner EPs explored.

The current study adds to the growing research into the modern phenomenon of cyberbullying, which can threaten the psychological, psychosocial, and physical health of children and young people. The relationship between traditional bullying and cyberbullying was examined by means of self and peer report measures. The sample consisted of 239 adolescents aged between 11 and 16 years, attending a secondary school in the UK. Participants completed an online questionnaire regarding their involvement and their peers' perceived involvement in both traditional bullying and cyberbullying. Correlational analysis showed a moderate/strong correspondence between peer nominations of young people identified as traditional bullies and cyberbullies. A strong relationship was found between self-report of cyberbullying and self-report of cyber-victimization, suggesting that victims of cyberbullying are also likely to be perpetrators. This parallels research into traditional bullying and indicates a transfer of the traditional bully/victim category into the cyberworld. Age and gender differences were analyzed using MANOVA. Younger participants were rated by peers as being more involved in traditional bullying than older participants, yet no age differences were found in involvement in cyberbullying. With regard to gender, peer nomination indicated that males were more likely to be engaged in traditional bullying and cyberbullying than females. Agreement between individuals and peers regarding who was involved in both bullying and victimization (traditional and cyber) was weak/moderate. This suggests that cautions should operate and sole reliance on student self-report measures in the identification of cyberbullies should be avoided.

Using the psychological framework of rational-emotive behaviour therapy, the principal aim of this study was to establish whether irrational beliefs, self-efficacy or pupil behaviour predicted teacher reports of stress. A secondary aim was to establish whether these variables, in addition to teachers' verbal feedback to pupils in class, predicted on-task pupil behaviour. Participants consisted of 58 teachers from five secondary schools, who completed three self-report questionnaires examining teacher stress, self-efficacy and irrational beliefs. In addition, both teachers and pupils were systematically observed in class using a structured schedule. The results indicated that high self-reported irrational beliefs and low self-efficacy predicted high levels of teacher stress. In addition, high self-efficacy and low levels of negative comments directed at pupils' social behaviour and academic work in the classroom predicted high levels of on-task pupil behaviour. The implications for supporting teachers in these areas are discussed. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)

At the national level there has been a call for more therapeutic interventions and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has been identified as one approach that can be used. The training of educational psychologists (EPs) has been extended to three years and this provides an opportunity to increase the depth of knowledge of particular therapeutic models and their use in educational settings. This paper reports developments within two UK educational psychology initial professional training programmes, involving the design of units with a specific emphasis on the development of CBT competencies with children and young people. It details an evaluation of trainee educational psychologists' (TEPs') experiences of undertaking CBT case-work during their placements within educational psychology services. Focus groups were run on each programme using a common script, transcribed and then responses coded using ATLAS.ti. This led to the development of a conceptual framework that gives an understanding of the main barriers and facilitators to implementing CBT interventions within schools. There are implications for educational psychology services, trainers and service users as well as the TEPs themselves. (Contains 1 figure.)

With the growing emphasis on accountability and evidence-based practice, evaluation has become increasingly important in the contexts in which educational psychologists (EPs) practice. This paper describes a Target Monitoring and Evaluation (TME) system, derived from Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) which was developed to evaluate outcomes of a wide range of interventions that were established as a result of an EP and an assistant EP involvement in two local authorities. Pupils made progress on between 94% and 97% of targets, and outcomes were significantly better than the baseline for both groups. Results are considered in terms of the value and usefulness of TME as an evaluation system and key issues relating to its implementation within EP practice are discussed. (Contains 6 figures.)

This paper reports a study that aimed to investigate the perspectives of educational psychologists (EPs) and speech and language therapists (SLTs) about collaborative practices across these two services, to identify any barriers to collaboration and to explore how these could be overcome. The views of EPs and SLTs in two local authorities were sought using a questionnaire. Data analysis identified differences relating to professional and attitudinal issues, revealing divergent views about assessment and resource allocation. Communication difficulties were also identified. Approaches to develop effective collaborative practice are discussed and the importance of creating opportunities to deliver joint training in schools is highlighted. (Contains 3 figures.)

Background: This longitudinal study sought to improve understanding of the factors at home and school that influence children's attainment and progress in writing between the ages of 4 and 7 years. Aims: (i) To investigate the relationship between home variables and writing development in preschool children; (ii) to determine associations between child characteristics and writing development (iii) to conduct an analysis of the areas of continuity and discontinuity between variables at home and at school, and influences on subsequent writing development. Sample: Sixty children attending four urban primary schools participated in this study. Method: Semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, observation schedules and standardized assessments were used. Writing samples were collected each term. Associations between measures and continuity over time were assessed using multiple regression analysis. Results: Preschool variables that were found to be significantly associated with writing proficiency at school entry included mother's educational level, family size, parental assessment of writing and a measure of home writing. Child characteristics, skills and competencies were measured at school entry and those found to be significantly associated with writing at 7 years included season of birth, vocabulary score, pre-reading skills, handwriting and proficiency in writing name. The only preschool variable that maintained its significant relationship to writing at 7 years was home writing. Teacher assessments of pupil attitudes to writing were consistently found to be significantly associated with writing competence. Conclusions: This comprehensive study explored the complex interaction of cognitive, affective and contextual processes involved in learning to write, and identified specific features of successful writers. Results are discussed in relation to educational policy and practice issues.

Perspectives of 107 pupils, parents and school staff involved in inclusion initiatives in two Local Education Authorities in the UK were obtained though interviews and focus groups. The format of the interview was semistructured, with a predetermined set of questions and prompts being delivered according to a standardized protocol. Transcripts were analysed using a qualitative procedure and commonalities and differences of view identified. All groups reported academic and social advantages as positive benefits of returning pupils with special educational needs from special to mainstream settings. Teachers identified changing attitudes and values and sharing staff expertise as important. Teachers' main concerns were organizational (planning, timetabling, curriculum). All groups highlighted some academic and social concerns, though for pupils relatively higher incidences of social concerns were recorded. All groups considered pupil progress to be a primary indicator of successful inclusion: parents placed greater emphasis on academic progress and pupils on social progress. Teachers and parents identified good planning and preparation and supportive communication as prerequisites for successful inclusion. The importance of establishing effective systems of communication is discussed in relation to the further development of inclusive practices. (Contains 7 tables.)

This paper outlines issues around learning to write and considers the range of difficulties children may experience. The role of Information and Communications Technology in facilitating writing development is considered. Software applications that can be used to support aspects of the writing process and target teaching are outlined. Criteria for evaluation of existing products and the implications for practice in educational psychology are discussed. (Contains 1 table and 25 online resources.)