Who’s Who in The Educational Guidance Service Team
EGS was founded in 1999 and then became a limited company in 2004. The team has continually been expanding and whilst all operations and administration are still conducted from the office in Halifax, West Yorkshire, our psychologists are now spread all over the country.
Our administration team have extensive knowledge and experience in dealing with enquiries and diagnostic reports and act as the front line in handling any issues should they arise. They coordinate all assessments and work very hard to meet the demands of each institute as well as the individual.
Our team of psychologists are from a range of different backgrounds and together bring extensive experience in management and leadership and are knowledgeable in the fields of:-
- Specific learning difficulties (eg. dyslexia and dyspraxia)
- Behaviour
- Early years
- Autistic spectrum disorders
- Moderate learning difficulties
- Sensory impairment
- Profound and multiple difficulties
The range of experience extends from early years to higher education.
To find out more about some of our team members please see below;
Team Principals
Chairman
Alex Griffiths
CPSYCHOL AFBPSS, HCPC registered
Alex Griffiths is an Educational Psychologist with over 30 years experience. The author of various books and texts on parental involvement, reading and behaviour he also edited the magazine “Special” for over 10 years.
CEO and Director of Schools
Karen Jones
CPSYCHOL AFBPSS, HCPC registered
Karen is an educational psychologist of many years experience. She has worked with local education authorities and is familiar with multi-agency working. Karen has worked extensively in early years settings and in schools. She continues to work on a regular basis with children, their parents and staff at schools. Another part of Karen’s role includes working with students in colleges and universities. She frequently prepares and delivers training for a range of agencies and institutions and has experience of working within the legal system.
Core Psychology Team
Alison Fox
Chartered Psychologist BSc, MSc, MBPsS, RQTU, HCPC registered
Alison is a Chartered Psychologist and senior member of the Kade team and has responsibilities within the operational management of the consultancy. She specialises in workplace assessments, workplace wellbeing and designing and delivering training. Alison works with a range of clients and works both within educational institutions and public sector organisations. She obtained managerial experience from a young age while completing her BSc in Psychology and MSc in Occupational Psychology. Following her degree, she spent time working with young individuals in an educational setting and she is passionate about supporting and developing people in the workplace. She has been involved in a range of projects including: job analysis and design of competency frameworks, assessment and development of work teams, validation and evaluation of assessment processes and delivering awareness training involving communication styles and understanding others.
Alison is also a highly experienced assessor of adults with Specific Learning Difficulties and hence is well placed to understand the difficulties faced by those who have disabilities such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Autism and ADD/ADHD. She works with individuals to help them understand their strengths and difficulties to develop strategies which drive their performance and increase their capabilities.
Alison is a member of the British Psychological Society and Division of Occupational Psychology. She is qualified in Occupational Testing: Ability and Occupational Testing: Personality.
In her free time, Alison enjoys walking in the countryside, keeping fit and watching sports such as rugby, as well as relaxing with some retail therapy.
Specialisms:
- Assessment
- Specific Learning Difficulties
- Training
Samantha Davison
Sam is a Business Psychologist and an established member of the EGS and Kade team. She is a member of the British Psychological Society and is currently registered on stage 2 of the Qualification for Occupational Psychology. Sam is also qualified in Occupational Testing: Ability (formerly Level A) and Occupational Testing: Personality (formerly Level B).
Sam has expertise in diversity assessment and is a proficient assessor who can identify a range of Specific Learning Difficulties or neurodiverse conditions (e.g. dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, AD(H)D and Autism) in adults. Sam also designs and delivers training to organisations and has worked on various other projects, including research into employee well-being, presenteeism and has co-led the design and development of a 360 feedback tool. She works across a range of organisations and has considerable experience working in the educational field.
In her spare time Sam enjoys travelling and experiencing new countries and cultures, exercising and spending time with her family and friends.
Keri Jones-Davies
Business Psychologist BSc, MSc ,MBPsS, TOP, RQTU, MBACP
Keri is an experienced Psychologist with a career spanning over 18 years, working in the field of assessment and development. He specialises in assessment, coaching and consultancy, and has worked with individuals at all levels of organisation from grass roots to senior management.
Keri has worked with a range of commercial and public sector organisations, specialising in psychometric testing, job analysis and design, competency design, assessment centre and delivery, training and feedback. He has considerable experience in assessment for recruitment and development and has conducted research and validation studies. He spent 4 years managing and resourcing voluntary sector services and throughout his career he has taken a particular interest in development. Keri is an experienced counsellor and coach who has provided coaching at executive level and for personal development within organisations.
Keri is also trained in Occupational Assessment for Ability. He is a member of the British Psychological Society and Division of Occupational Psychology and is currently working towards Chartership.
Specialisms:
- Assessment
- Training
- Coaching
- Selection and Recruitment
- Leadership Development
- Specific Learning Difficulties
- Counselling
- Stress Management
Simon Shaw
Occupational Psychologist BA, MSc, CPSYCHOL, RQTU, HCPC registered
Simon is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist with over 12 years’ experience in helping organisations to recruit and develop their people to improve performance and wellbeing. He has a particular passion for understanding what makes people tick and aligning this with achieving organisational needs.
He has significant experience in designing and delivering assessment and development centres, leadership development programmes, psychometrics and coaching. He has worked primarily with clients in the public sector, education and professional services sectors.
Simon is a member of the British Psychological Society, a founder member of the Special Group in Coaching Psychology and is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. He is licensed to use a wide range of ability and personality psychometrics and is an accredited performance and executive coach.
Before joining the team, Simon worked as an Occupational Psychologist for the Police Service, recruiting and developing talent at all levels. Following this, he delivered assessment, training and coaching services to a range of public and private sector clients as a freelance consultant.
In his free time, Simon enjoys spending time with his young son and playing the drums.
Specialties:
- Assessment and Development Centre design and delivery
- Assessor training
- Leadership Development
- Coaching
- Specific Learning Difficulties
Consultants
Dr John Bradley
HCPC registered
Dr John Bradley has worked as an educational psychologist in England, Hong Kong and Brunei. In Nottinghamshire he was Principal Educational Psychologist and Head of Special Educational Needs Services. A theme in this work was the promotion of inclusive education. He now works with The Educational Guidance Service to provide assessment and advice to university students with additional needs. He also continues to publish academic research in to widening participation in higher education and the ethics of university marketing. He has been commissioned to undertake several Serious Case Reviews and Domestic Homicide Reviews as well as investigations in to historic abuse. He was the author of a report for the Department of Education looking at Jimmy Savile’s contact with schools.
One of his research publications on young people and university can be read by CLICKING HERE.
Joanne Chambers
MSC AND CPSYCHOL, HCPC registered
Joanne Chambers is a consultant Chartered Occupational Psychologist with extensive experience in recruitment and selection. Joanne has previously worked within the public sector designing and delivering large scale assessment and development tools for the UK Police Service. She specialises in assessment/development centre design and delivery, assessor training design and delivery, delivery of bespoke training courses. Joanne is Level A and Level B Plus qualified and has experience of a range of personality tools and is competent in assessing individuals for specific learning difficulties using the WAIS-IV. Joanne is currently completing a Diploma in Personal Performance Coaching. She combines technical knowledge and statistical expertise to achieve a track record of delivering high quality assessments efficiently, enhancing business performance.
Tim Greenwood
PGCE, MSC ED PSYCH, HCPC registered
Tim is an educational psychologist with experience working in the early years, primary, secondary and higher education sectors. He has special interests in video interaction guidance, an innovative approach to working with families and schools to bring about change, and dialogic approaches to team learning and organisational change.
Janet Philpott
CPSYCHOL, HCPC registered
Janet is an experienced educational psychologist with a broad base in the profession. She was a senior then Principal Educational Psychologist in a north eastern Local Authority and she has worked at a range of levels which include recent casework and strategic experience.
Janet has published a range of materials across diverse fields and her interests are similarly diverse but particularly centered around early childhood development and social communication.
Dr Craig Small
HCPC registered
Dr Craig Small is a coaching and educational psychologist with a long running interesting in behaviour, literacy, social inclusion and the psychology of collaboration and change.
In his psychology career, Craig has worked as Senior Psychologist with Middlesbrough Local Authority and most recently as Deputy Principal and also Acting Principal Psychologist / Head of Service with Nottinghamshire Children’s Services Inclusion Services. Craig has extensive experience of delivering and leading local authority psychology services and has twice been seconded to government projects; firstly to the Excellence in Cities program, which focused on meeting the behaviour challenge in schools, and secondly the Targeted Youth Support Program, which was concerned with the integration of children’s services to improve outcomes.
As well as extensive experience of designing and developing service systems, Craig also has many thousands of hours of experience working directly with clients and combines these to work in a range of fields where psychology can add social value.
Deborah Finn
HCPC registered
Deborah is an Occupational Psychologist with wide experience of working with adults with specific learning difficulties, a range of disabilities and study/employment difficulties. She has also worked as a psychologist advisor within a university setting, providing detailed assessments of the needs of disabled students, providing staff training and working cooperatively with academics to ensure appropriate provision for students within the context of course demands.
Amanda Merrill-Skelton
HCPC registered
Amanda is a Chartered Psychologist and Registered Occupational Psychologist. She is a full member of the Division of Occupational Psychology within the BPS and Associate Fellow of BPS. Amanda is also HCPC registered. Her background is in designing and delivering assessment and selection processes for both public and private sector organisations, across a wide range of sectors and for all levels of the organisation (entry level-Board level).
Amanda also holds the Level A and Level B Intermediate and Plus Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing and is trained to use a number of psychometric tests including; OPQ, 16PF, ICES, Hogan Suite, Wave, Talent Q and Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire.
Amanda is an experienced assessor of students and adults with Specific Learning Difficulties.
Dr Margaret Smith
CPSYCHOL, HCPC Registered
Dr Margaret Smith is an Educational Psychologist with over twenty years’ experience. She has worked for several local authorities across Greater Manchester in a range of early years, school and post-16 settings. Margaret developed a particular interest in working with parents and carers and supporting students with learning difficulties and autistic spectrum conditions.
Margaret was an Academic and Professional Tutor at the University of Manchester where she was involved in all aspects of the initial training course for Educational and Child Psychologists. She has worked for the Educational Guidance Service since 2011 and gained considerable experience in the assessment of HE students for specific learning difficulties.
Angie Ingman
HCPC registered
Angie is a Chartered Psychologist who specialises in psychological assessment in work, Leadership, Learning and Motivation, workplace well being and designing and delivering training. She works with a range of clients and works both within private and public-sector organisations. Angie is also a tutor on the MSc in Occupational Psychology with the University of Leicester and supervises trainees through the qualification in Occupational Psychology to achieve their Chartered status.
Angie is a highly experienced assessor of adults with Specific Learning Difficulties and hence is well placed to understand the difficulties faced by those who have disabilities such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Autism and ADD/ADHD.
Angie is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a member of the Division of Occupational Psychology. Angie has been a volunteer with both the DOP and BPS and is currently Chair of the Board for Stage 2 (Chartership). She is qualified in Occupational Testing: Ability and Occupational Testing: Personality: and she is accredited in a variety of tools.
In her free time, Angie enjoys birdwatching, oenology and music, both playing and listening to live bands, especially country and western.
Specialisms:
- Assessment and Development
- Training
- Coaching
- Leadership Development
- Specific Learning Difficulties
- Organisational Change
- Behavioural Change
Sue Harding
CPSYCHOL, HCPC registered
Sue is an educational psychologist who has gained experience from working within several local education authorities in the North West. She works across the age range from early years, primary and secondary through to the higher education sector. Sue has extensive experience of working collaboratively with schools, children and parents/carers to improve learning outcomes. She is able to provide assessments of a wide range of needs in line with the SEND Code of Practice.
Sue has had a long term interest in specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism and ADD/ADHD.
Nina Parson
BSc, MSc, CPSYCHOL, HCPC registered
Nina is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist with over 15 years’ experience working in the areas of assessment and development. She has worked with individuals and teams in organisations in both the public and private sector, from graduates to director level. She also conducts assessments for adults with Specific Learning Difficulties in the education sector.
Nina is passionate about supporting and developing people to ensure they can reach their full potential. She is a member of British Psychological Society and Division of Occupational Psychology and sits on the DOP Neuro-diversity & Employment working group whose aims include: promoting neurodiversity in the workplace and influencing changes in workplace practice to enable the growth of a neuro-diverse workforce.
Hannah Courtney-Bennett
HCPC registered
A Chartered Psychologist since 1998, Hannah’s work focuses on career development and talent management through assessments and one to one coaching. Using coaching techniques and talent, strengths and interest diagnostics she provides support to Career Changers, Graduates and Undergraduates, Women Returners and Young People starting out. Hannah also provides assessment and selection services to organisations, including application sifts, design of ACs, assessing and interviewing.
Hannah is a full member of the Division of Occupational Psychology within the BPS and a member of the Special Coaching Group of the BPS. She is a member of the HCPC and a founder member of the ABP. She has an MA in Careers Guidance and is on the Register of Career Development Professionals.
As well as offering diagnostic assessments for those presenting with suspected Specific Learning Difficulties, Hannah has have Level A and Level B Certificates in Occupational Testing and is trained to use a number of psychometric tests including OPQ, Wave, 16PF, MBTI, Hogan, Talent Q, Factet5 and Morrisby.
Emma Guy
Occupational Psychologist BSc, MSc, CPSYCHOL, RQTU, HCPC registered
Emma is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist with over 13 years’ experience of enabling organisations to achieve their business goals through recruiting and developing their people.
Emma has a great deal of expertise in designing and delivering assessment and development solutions, assessing and developing leaders and managers using psychometrics and 360° feedback and also helping people achieve their potential through 1:1 coaching. Emma continues to work with a wide range of public, private and third sector clients covering a variety of industries as a freelance consultant and Occupational Psychologist.
Emma is a member of the British Psychological Society and is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. She is licensed to use a wide range of ability and personality psychometrics and is an accredited Executive Coach.
