Quarterly Update on the Qualification in Educational Psychology (Scotland) March 2015

Quarterly Update on the Qualification in Educational Psychology (Scotland) March 2015

Each quarter I am asked to provide an update to the SDEPTraining Committee on the progress of the qualification. This short report gives details of this progress for the quarter ending in March 2015

I also copy this update to QEP Board, ASPEP and our Qualification Reference Groupfor their records.

The QEP (Scotland) continues to be the vehicle for probationers to become eligible for HCPC and therefore eligible to call themselves Educational Psychologists.

This is my third year of involvement with submissions. Quality remains high. All probationers who have enrolled in the QEP and then submitted have we feel been competent. Some have taken a wee bit longer than others to demonstrate this competence (through having to resubmit some of their pieces of written work). Though all have now done so for years 1 and 2 (all before the end of the year they were to submit for). This represents a great effort from all concerned.

Year 3 is by no means over but standards are comparable to year 1. Some candidates have had to resubmit. The criterion is five competent pieces of written work (triangulated with logs and supervisor reports). There is no wiggle room there, so if someone puts in four superlative submissions but the fifth is not judged to demonstrate their competence they would need to resubmit that piece. Demonstration of breadth of competent practice is being assessed rather than greatdepth of expertise in specific areas. There is no charge for resubmission, though fees are set to increase. N.B. professional fees can be claimed back from HM Revenue and Customs (just the tax paid not the whole amount but still a bit of cash and can be for last six years and can include SDEP, EIS, GTCS and maybe ASPEP fees too).

I see the gap between all candidates being competent and less than all candidates demonstrating this competence in their written submissions at the first opportunity as largely a workload issue.Of course it helps that services give all probationers their 0.8FTE allocation. I am not sure if SDEP or ASPEP are in a position to confirm this happens across Scotland? I know it is hard in the first year of practice but reflective submissions are produced more easily by candidates managing to write up as the year progresses rather than waiting to the end and writing everything in the summer. It is not a condition but I think it is also wise to have supervisors looking at the submissions before they are sent to BPS.

The volunteers who give their time gratis to help with the QEP are doing a great job – assessors, Chief Assessor, Chief Supervisor. We are also very ably supported by our External Examiner. I believe the QEP (Scotland) to be a robust qualification. Look out for a training event for supervisors in the summer term. Anyone in SDEP/ASPEP wanting to become an assessor should let me know in the first instance (there is of course an application process and a form to be filled in for this).

We have been very well supported by the BPS in the last two years. The HCPC insists that the BPS appraises all its qualifications. Supervisors and assessors have therefore been sent paperwork (part of which asks people to identify training needs). No one likes a form but it would be great if the profession could return these appraisals.

The BPS is keen for all its qualification reference groups to have a profile. We had considered winding ours up by absorbing functions into SDEP/ASPEP remits. Fortunately, we did not get round to this as the BPS is keen for the QRGs to take a bigger role in supporting the qualifications.

Meg Ashcroft from the BPS will be consulting with Qualifications Standards Committee members (including me) on the draft Terms of Reference for the QRGs with a view to submitting a revised ToRfor QSC’s consideration in June. There’s going to be an annual meeting of QRGs in the autumn (most likely at the Society’s London office). Finally the BPS will be establishing a community hub for QRG members to facilitate the exchange of communication, good practice etc.

As ever I am extremely grateful for any support that the QEP (Scotland) Board gets from the profession to assist in delivering this necessary qualification.

Martin Gemmell

Principal Educational Psychologist City of Edinburgh Council / Chair of the Board of the QEP Scotland