Summer CPD: our top 5 blogs this year

It might be the case that some of our readers will have some chance over the summer to catch up with reading, interests and CPD.

Here we highlight our top five blog posts this academic year*. A chance to catch up if you missed them first time round, or enjoy again.

Towards the end August we’ll try to pull together a ‘top 5 hidden gems’ list.

(* We’ve excluded our coronavirus resources and information page from this list)

1. A day in the life of an EP

Back in October 2019, Will reflected on the role of the EP as being ‘more than assessors’. Drawing on perspectives from twitter he highlighted some of the exciting work EPs are involved in around the country.

2. Black lives matter

In June, shortly after the tragic murder of George Floyd, and in the middle of the Covid lockdown, Abi wrote about the role of educational professionals and psychologists in the fight against racism.

This post resonated with many people, particularly the call for psychologists to be active and vocal in opposition to racism. The comments underneath Abi’s post are equally powerful and one commenter, Sanchia, has shared a fantastic list of resources to enhance and deepen knowledge and understanding of racism and privilege.

3. Raising awareness of pupils with hypermobility spectrum disorders

Jane’s post in July is an informative introduction to the specific needs that children with hypermobility spectrum disorders might have, and how these might present in school.

Widely read and shared across social media, with a ‘reprint’ in the TES, Jane’s post demonstrates the importance of raising awareness of HSD and Ehlers-Danlos sydromes.

4. Drawing the ideal safe school

In July, with talk of schools reopening more widely, Jane (creator of the ideal school technique) advocated for an optimistic approach to returning to school.

With examples from practice and loads of free resources, Jane’s blog is a must read to add further person-centred, personal construct psychology tools to our toolkit.

5. Pupil views around the covid-19 pandemic

Following on from a local survey completed by 752 children in Southend, Essex, Southend EPS highlighted the opportunities that children had identified as a result of living through the Covid-19 pandemic.

The blog considers some of the key messages from this theme of ‘Opportunities’ and the authors reflect on potential areas for change. There’s also a link to the full report and a webinar discussing the findings.

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