dr ben levy

DEdPsych, PGCert, Dip Psych, BA Hons

I began my career as a Special Needs tutor, before working as a primary school Teaching Assistant, then a Teacher and finally an Educational Psychologist. Working within the education system in so many different ways has certainly helped me develop a rich understanding of learning and Special Educational Needs.
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As an EP, I worked for six years in a Local Authority in West London as a maingrade Psychologist, before spending the past seven years as Senior Educational Psychologist at a large North London charity, managing and supervising five practitioners.
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My passion and expertise lie in cognitive and behavioural change, as well as staff training and development (especially in the deployment and use of Teaching Assistants).
I have extensive experience delivering highly effective consultations with parents and teachers. I engage in structured conversations that make a real difference.
EDUCATION
  • Doctorate in Child, community and Educational Psychology- Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and University of Essex
  • PGCert Work-Based Learning – University of Middlesex (conferring Qualified Teacher Status)
  • Diploma in Psychology- London Metropolitan University
  • BA Hons- University of Birmingham
TRAINING
  • Practitioner Certificate Maximising the Practice of Teaching Assistants (2018)
  • Accredited Trainer Outstanding Teaching Assistant Programme (2018)
  • Safeguarding and Protecting Children: Legal Framework for Practice (2018)
  • Practitioner Certificate in use of Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment, Level 1 (2015)
  • Practitioner Certificate in use of Cognitive Abilities Profile (2014)
  • Practitioner Certificate in use of Feuerstein Learning Potential Assessment Device, Levels 1 & 2 (2012 and 2013)
  • Practitioner Certificate in Dynamic Assessment of Young Children (2010)
  • Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (2010, remain on BPS Register of Qualifications in Test Use)
WORK
  • For the past seven years, I have been Senior Educational Psychologist (SEP) at a London-wide children’s charity, managing and supervising a team of five practitioners.
  • During this time, I set up EP contracts with over a dozen local schools, took on casework from Primary, Secondary and Post 18 settings and worked with hundreds of private clients, receiving numerous glowing testimonials.
  • I devised and then led a specialist team to deliver a £100,000 pilot programme in two Primary Schools, focussing on maximising the impact of Teaching Assistants.
  • I have liaised regularly with the charity’s Senior Management on strategic decision making and worked on a daily basis with the charity’s Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Specialist Teaching managers and teams. I have trained these teams on cognitive development (theory and application).
  • I am a regular reviewer of Educational Psychology books for our professional journal, Educational Psychology in Practice.
  • Prior to this, I spent seven years as a maingrade Educational Psychologist in a West London Local Authority, supporting over fifty Primary and Secondary Schools on a daily basis. I honed my consultation skills, staff training skills and developed in-depth knowledge of the statutory process.
  • Prior to becoming an EP, I worked for three years as a private tutor to a child with severe and complex learning difficulties, using a behaviourist methodology; as a Teaching Assistant at a Primary School in Hendon; and then as a Year 3 and Year 4 classroom teacher in a Primary School in Burnt Oak.
 
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND REGISTRATIONS
  • Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
  • Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP)
  • British Psychological Association Register of Qualifications in Test Use (RQTU)
  • Enhanced Disclosure Criminal Records Bureau Check
  • Eligible Provider of Psychological Services under Private Health Insurance