Theodora Theodoratou, Head of Wandsworth Schools and Community Psychology Service (SCPS), is clear that without the right support, schools can get pulled into an endless cycle of individual case management. “The hamster wheel of casework never ends,” she explained, “and it doesn’t create long-term impact for the school as a whole.” Time and energy are absorbed by responding to one issue after another, without space to address the wider systemic factors that are creating barriers to learning.
SCPS takes a different approach. While individual casework remains a vital part of the service, the focus extends beyond this to strategic and systemic work – supporting schools to make sense of complex individual circumstances while also understanding the patterns, relationships and pressures that sit around them. “Our focus on strategic, whole-school approaches definitely saves capacity,” Theodora said. Just as importantly, the service is deeply connected into the wider system. “Because there’s so much work happening in the background between services,” she explained, “we save schools from having to repeat the same stories to different people, or working in silos that overlap but under-deliver,” often acting as a critical friend when schools are deep in day-to-day firefighting.
At its heart, this work is about reducing pressure. Not by taking responsibility away from schools, but by sharing the load. “We don’t take responsibility from the problem holders,” Theodora said. “But we do lift some of the pressure – especially around having to bridge between agencies or hold all the statutory knowledge on your own.”
Creating space to hold the hard stuff
One of the most powerful ways the service creates capacity is through reflective space and supervision. SENCOs, in particular, often feel isolated when holding complex cases and fractured relationships with parents. “We really lift that isolation,” Theodora said. “Schools tell us that again and again – helping them to hold the hard stuff.”
This is also where SCPS often complements the work of private Educational Psychologists. While private EPs may be closely involved in individual assessment or casework, SCPS brings independence, a whole-school perspective and strong connections across council and statutory services. “Because we’re a large team,” Theodora explained, “we can bring in someone who isn’t directly involved with the child or family, but who understands psychology, schools and the wider system.”
In practice, this can mean providing supervision for a SENCO managing ongoing complaints, statutory processes and high parental pressure. The purpose is not to solve the case, but to contain it. “It’s a space where staff can bring their own feelings safely,” Theodora said, “so they can stay focused, compassionate and professional in school.” That support can be the difference between a skilled professional burning out and being able to continue in role.
The same principle applies at leadership level. Reflective space for a headteacher, particularly following a turbulent period, allows time to reconnect with values and priorities. “By supporting the headteacher,” Theodora explained, “you’re indirectly supporting the whole system – and hundreds of children underneath that.”
Across all of this work, SCPS shares the load rather than taking responsibility away – creating capacity where it matters most: with the people holding the greatest emotional and professional risk.