I still remember those early morning runs along Jersey’s seafront enroute to drop my daughter off at nursery — watching the sunrise over the sea and thinking about life as an Educational Psychologist (EP) on the island.
Early reflections by the seafront
In those moments, I sensed that my experience was distinctive and worth documenting. Not just for personal reflection, but for the wider profession in terms of thinking about the communities we serve.
Children are children wherever we work, yet they are shaped by the systems and support structures around them (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Here, I share my observations from working on Jersey and the lessons they offer for Educational Psychology practice more broadly — especially at a time when the upcoming SEND and Schools White Paper has potential to shape EP practice across the UK.
Havre des Pas
Navigating a new context
On my first week in Jersey, I was fumbling with school names — was it Le Rocquier or La Rocquier? The French-influenced twists of Jèrriais kept me on my toes. Beyond school names, I had to navigate the parishes, each with its own character, all welcoming. Working in such a small, beautiful setting — a jewel in the middle of the sea — I felt both inspired and genuinely privileged.
What struck me most was the consistency of relationships with schools, largely because the EP team was small and, with limited capacity, the same EP often visited the same schools. This proximity fostered trust and openness: SENCos were knowledgeable, reflective, and genuinely cared for their school community. Across schools, ideas and approaches travelled quickly. This mirrors core principles in EP literature, which emphasise consultation, collaboration, and capacity building as avenues through which EPs add value (Farrell et al., 2006; Wagner, 2008). Yet, even here, the age-old complaint persisted: schools often felt they did not have enough EP time. Schools frequently requested “full cognitive assessments,” and there was an over-reliance on individual casework rather than structured, consultative engagement.
Research has shown that opportunities for EPs to work within plan–do–review cycles (or equivalent systemic frameworks) have been eroded as finite EP time is monopolised by statutory assessments, often limiting access to broader psychological support (Crane, 2016). Such cycles are widely recognised in service delivery as key to effective planning, intervention, and evaluation. Yet, when capacity is stretched, these are less likely to be implemented rigorously.
Small team, big challenges
The Jersey EP team was small and the transient nature of island life meant colleagues frequently arrived and departed. Research points out that staff turnover and reliance on temporary staff can undermine continuity, reflective supervision, and service development (Rees & Porter, 2017; Sharpe & Hawkins, 2020). Jersey attracted EPs from a range of backgrounds and national contexts and at times it felt like the start of a joke: “an English EP, a Welsh EP, and a Scottish EP walk into a service…”. This diversity brought rich perspectives shaped by different policy and practice traditions.
Jersey adheres to legislation governing statutory assessments, timescales, and accountability mechanisms broadly aligned with UK SEND frameworks. However, within those boundaries, there was greater flexibility over service design, thresholds for EP involvement, and the balance between individual casework and systemic preventative activity. Decisions about when EPs became involved, how consultation was prioritised, and how schools were supported prior to statutory escalation were not as tightly prescribed as in England. This created potential to adopt alternative models of EP deployment that protected time for early intervention, consultation, and systems-level work.
One such alternative is illustrated by the Welsh approach, which has increasingly emphasised EP involvement where most appropriate, rather than as an automatic component of every statutory process, freeing psychologists to focus on preventative, systemic, and consultative work (Welsh Government, 2021). Evidence consistently suggests that EP impact is greatest when time is protected for early intervention and systems-level activity rather than dominated by statutory processes (Farrell, 2012; Leadbetter, 2015). Jersey’s semi-autonomous position meant that, while legal duties still had to be met, there was space to rebalance EP roles.
Professional isolation in island life
Island life also brought a personal professional challenge. Although Jersey is not far from the UK geographically, the body of water between the island and the mainland meant that attending conferences or bringing speakers over required significant planning. Over time, I felt increasingly distant from a fast-moving profession.
While I stayed informed through journals, peer supervision, blogs, and online resources, this could not fully replace hearing researchers bring their work to life or engaging in collaborative professional networks. Professional isolation is a well-documented risk for psychologists working in small or remote services, with implications for identity, innovation, and wellbeing (Jimerson et al., 2008; Hawkins & Shohet, 2012).
Returning to the mainland
Returning to the UK mainland felt like stepping back into the “real world.” Surprisingly, it did not feel as though much had changed in the three years I had been away. The volume of statutory work remains high, and the emphasis on specificity in statutory advice — often feeling somewhat arbitrary — persists. National research commissioned by the Department for Education confirms that EP capacity is frequently absorbed by increasing statutory demand (including EHCP assessments), limiting time for broader systemic and consultative work that both schools and EPs value (DfE workforce study, 2023). This pattern reflects wider workforce sustainability issues and growing pressure on services to meet demand without adequate resources (Parliamentary research, 2025).
Since being back in the UK, I have noticed the term “consultation” being used increasingly by professionals other than EPs, often in ways that diverge from the precisely trained consultative practice EPs are taught to use. True psychological consultation is much more than a conversation. As a doctoral trainee, I remember filming myself demonstrating core principles such as active listening, reflective feedback, and facilitating exploratory dialogue. Done well, consultation may look like a natural conversation, but it demands skill, time, and relational expertise.
EPs create space to build relationships, facilitate dialogue, and enable schools and parents to articulate challenges and co-construct solutions. This differs fundamentally from the medical sense of “consultation” as a single appointment. Preserving this skilled consultative approach will be crucial as the White Paper unfolds, especially if EPs are to retain capacity for preventative and systemic work alongside statutory responsibilities.
Looking ahead: lessons for the profession
As the SEND and Schools White Paper continues to develop — with intentions to reshape inclusion and support systems — it is vital to reflect on what aspects of EP practice we must protect.
- First, true consultative expertise must be acknowledged as a specialised, relational skill that requires investment of time and trust.
- Second, EPs should be enabled to work systemically and preventatively, embedding processes like plan–do–review cycles that support sustained, evidence-informed change.
- Third, workforce planning must recognise EPs’ breadth of skills beyond statutory assessments, with policies that ensure sufficient capacity for the full range of EP practice.
Several lessons from Jersey stay with me:
- Consistency matters — when the same EP sees schools over time, relationships deepen and trust grows.
- Context matters — small, autonomous systems can enable different ways of working when supported by clear vision and leadership.
- Flexibility matters — when EPs are trusted to use their professional judgement, children, schools, and services benefit.
I feel fortunate to have worked on the island. More broadly, this experience has reinforced to me that, as a profession, we must draw together during times of uncertainty, embrace opportunities wherever they arise, and recognise that EPs can add value to a wide range of communities — both locally and globally.
La Corbière Lighthouse.
References
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
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Farrell, P., Woods, K., Lewis, S., & Rooney, S. (2006). A review of the functions and contribution of educational psychologists in England and Wales. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 76(4), 747–765.
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Hawkins, P., & Shohet, R. (2012). Supervision in the helping professions (4th ed.). Open University Press.
Jimerson, S. R., Oakland, T. D., & Farrell, P. (2008). The handbook of international school psychology. Sage.
Kelly, B., & Gray, C. (2000). The statutory role of educational psychologists: Tensions and possibilities. Educational Psychology in Practice, 16(3), 281–292.
Leadbetter, J. (2015). Learning conversations: The use of consultation in educational psychology. Educational Psychology in Practice, 31(3), 245–261.
Rees, D., & Porter, J. (2017). Workforce sustainability and service delivery in educational psychology. Educational Psychology in Practice, 33(4), 329–344.
Sharpe, H., & Hawkins, P. (2020). The impact of organisational instability on reflective practice. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(6), 635–648.
Welsh Government (WG). (2021). Additional Learning Needs Code for Wales. Welsh Government.
Wagner, T. (2008). The global achievement gap. Basic Books.
Crane, L. (2016). The plan–do–review cycle in educational psychology practice: Evidence and implications. Educational Psychology in Practice, 32(3), 271–286.
DfE (2023). Workforce survey of Educational Psychologists in England. Department for Education.
Parliamentary Research (2025). Capacity and sustainability of Educational Psychology services. UK Parliament.
