Written evidence submitted by the Association of Educational Psychologists

Our submission is based on a policy discussion at a meeting of the National Executive Committee of the AEP. It does not represent a comprehensive or unified position in answer to the broad questions being considered by the Inquiry but we hope that it is a useful contribution to your evidence and that it gives members of the Select Committee an understanding of the perspectives and insights of educational psychologists, drawn from their experience of working in education and engaging with young people.

Comments on the inquiry aims and process

We welcome the way in which the Committee has opened up this broad debate.

We have some questions about the focus of the inquiry. One of the issues we discussed is the importance of defining whether you are interested in education in a very broad sense, or, given your question about assessment, whether you are focussed on schooling. In our experience the terms are often used interchangeably but we consider that schooling is different from education. We also wondered whether you are considering the whole of the education system, including private schools, or are focussed on the 'state sector'.

4. We would urge the Committee to consider education broadly, including the social experience and how education prepares people for life. In this sense we will be interested to see if the Committee looks at education throughout our lives, including lifelong learning, or is looking more specifically at the education of children. In terms of children's education at school, the Committee could consider the evidence gathered in the Primary review.

5. One of our members suggested that the Committee could reframe the question by considering first what kind of world we are trying to create, before then considering how education helps us get there.

The purpose of education

6. We discussed the importance of education as a means of helping children and young people to develop critical intelligence and learn to think for themselves.

One of our members suggested that the purpose of education is about trying to provoke interest and curiosity in children about their current, present and future environment and to try and encourage children to take up future opportunities.

In this, you need a range of teachers and to be encouraged towards self guided learning so that education becomes a lifelong journey.

7. One of the participants in our discussion said: "the purpose of education is to help all children, including those with special educational needs, to respect themselves, to respect their environment, and to be open to learning".

8. It was felt that one of the challenges that the educations system, and those involved with education, need to address that much of the benefit of education is felt at a later time. Educational Psychologists often work with individuals who are not able to assimilate and understand the concept of the ‘deferred reward’ that comes from learning.

A uniform system versus local area and practitioner flexibility

9. We considered how the purpose of education varies from one society to another.

Even within the UK there is variation across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. We discussed the tensions between the desirability of taking a view of what the purpose and values of education is from the centre, versus allowing schools, educators, parents and communities to shape their own view of education. We felt that a balance is needed where education does help to nurture a common culture and the values that we share as a society, yet does not seek a mono-culture or stifle the ability of people in a local setting to shape the education system. On the curriculum for example, we agreed that it is appropriate to emphasise some topics and areas of learning but this should not be so prescriptive as to limit the ability of schools and individual teachers to respond to the particular needs and interests of pupils.

10.We believe that education is a lifelong purpose but we recognise that school has an important role to play for young people and for their families too, as a place to continue to be engaged in education. Our view is that the responsibility for education rests with everyone in a community, not only with schools but with family, extended family and even more widely.

Role of schools

11.Educational Psychologists work with many children and young people including some whose needs are not met very well in the current school system. This informs our view of schooling. One of our members commented that schools are structured by and large by age groups, "but nowhere else in society do we do things so narrowly defined by age groups". The questions was asked if an environment in which 30 children of the same age are put together into a school with an adult at the front is the best approach, relative to smaller groups in a formal education setting or the important of self guided learning.

12.One of the educational psychologists present for the discussion shared a personal

reflection of watching a young child learn to communicate in three languages. She told us how the child has done this outside of school rather than through formal learning, and she reflected that this shows how a child can be supported and stimulated in any learning environment. She went on to say: "the children I work with who have learning difficulties such as autism must also have a learning experience and you need to facilitate that but it might be a different environment to school in which they can best learn. Your first focus with them is to create trust, you need to create an environment where they feel relaxed and respected, where they are valued and motivated before you can get to the point of teaching factual information".