Schools in England are required to have an anti-bullying policy. A revised 42-item scoring scheme was used to report a content analysis of 200 anti-bullying policies. On average, school policies had 61% of items. Chi-square comparisons found an increase in policy coverage from 2008 to 2022, notably for mentioning cyber bullying and many types of…

This article describes an initiative to evaluate the impact of educational psychologists' (EPs') casework. Previous studies have often focussed on evaluating processes or reducing outcomes to measurable units. The authors argue that qualitative research methods can be used to illuminate EP effectiveness. They describe a real world and…

The aims of this study were to examine the extent and nature of educational psychologist (EP) work related to children in care in five local authority educational psychology services in the south-west region. The study involved an initial internet-based questionnaire for the 107 EPs in these services (86% response rate), followed up by in-depth…

This paper reflects upon the developing role of educational psychologists (EPs) within the local authority Children's Services, from the starting point that the EP role has, through numerous reviews, been clearly conceptualised. Detailing the philosophy and framework for the inception of Children's Services in England, the authors propose two…

This study used an "indicated prevention" approach to attempt to replicate very positive international evaluations of the FRIENDS for Life programme. Using standardised self-report measures of anxiety, low mood and self esteem with groups of children from four schools, the study found significant improvements in all of these measures…

In this article the concept of spirituality, especially with relation to school age children and young people, is discussed. Some of the possibilities and constraints present in this area are noted, especially the unease with which many researchers and practitioners view such a difficult to define topic and also its traditional association with…

This paper reports on research conducted over a two-year period in a large Educational Psychology Service (EPS) in England. Researchers were keen to ascertain the views of young people and EPS members about young people being directly involved in educational decision-making and how their "genuine" involvement in such decision-making…

This study evaluates the work of a multi-disciplinary Behaviour Support Team developed to support schools in managing problematic behaviour. An evidence base to inform future service delivery is developed, using a model of evaluation which incorporates both quantitative, outcome data and more explanatory qualitative data, incorporating the views…

This paper reports on a study which surveyed and interviewed teachers on their perceptions of the barriers and facilitators to the inclusion of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) pupils in school. The outcomes indicated that there was a silencing of diverse sexualities in schools. In theory, teachers had adopted an individual liberal humanitarian…

This article explores two separate traditions that educational psychologists (EPs) in the UK have for working with systems. One of these is "systems work" with organisations such as schools. The other is "systemic thinking" for working with families. Over the years these two traditions, systems work and systemic thinking, have…

This paper reports on a UK survey of GCSE examination results for children from schools throughout England who had lost a parent (n =73) or sibling (n =24) through death to establish whether this had a long-term impact on school performance, levels of anxiety and self-esteem, and school attendance. Participants were matched for school, age, gender…

This paper explores the issue of how educational psychologists (EPs) deal with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) referrals. Self-reported EP practice is highlighted and discussed using data gathered from a survey of EPs ( n=107) drawn from 16 local education authorities. Data relating to the age and gender of students referred, the…