Assessment

Educational Psychologists carry out assessments to help schools create a supportive and effective learning environment tailored to the unique needs of each student. Our modern education system is incredibly complex. As we deepen our understanding of human behaviour, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and learning processes, it becomes clear that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to education. On this basis, assessments can be useful for:

Identifying the contributing factors to educational problems whether that be with individuals, groups or within the system itself
Designing targeted interventions and support programmes
Getting a holistic understanding of a child or young person’s communication, learning, social, emotional and mental health needs
Assessing how individuals perform in various learning environments and with varying levels of support/scaffolding
Considering barriers to learning
Understanding individual characteristics and adapt teaching methods to suit

At Brimstone we carry out assessments to understand communication and interaction, cognition and learning, social, emotional and mental health and physical and sensory needs. When a young person reaches Year 9 and above, we also consider what they will need to be prepared for adulthood. We do so by:

Talking to the child/young person’s current or previous teachers
Talking to the child/young person’s parents
Analysing the child/young person’s schoolwork and approach to learning
Observing the child/young person in the learning environment
Considering the child/young person’s emotional and social development and behaviour
Talking to the child/young person themselves.
Using games, questionnaires, tools and strategies to make assessments