Profile
Katie Wood
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About Me:
Hi! I’m Katie and I live with my husband, 2 sons (aged 10 and 7) and 2 cats in Brighton. I love hanging out with my friends and family at the beach, swimming in the sea and watching my beloved football team Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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I live in Brighton which is a really exciting and fun place to be. I love spending time with my family out and about, and particularly on the beach. I really enjoy swimming in the sea, even in winter (although I have a really good wetsuit and gloves to stop me from freezing!) I swam on Christmas Day last year which was ace!
I have two boys who are in primary school. I also have two cats, Marvin who is 16 (and sleeps a lot) and Bruno who is 2 and enjoys chasing squirrels. One of my favourite things to do is to watch football – my favourite team are Wolverhampton Wanderers. My family all support different teams, so when they all play each other it gets interesting……
I love going to watch live music, and also snuggling up on the sofa to watch TV or a movie. Harry Potter and Paddington are up there with my favourites.
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Educational Psychologists work with children and young people (aged between 0 and 25) and their families. We try to understand how children and young people learn best, and what makes people feel happy and safe, using psychology. We sometimes use assessments to measure how people’s brains process information, but also spend a lot of time talking – to the children themselves, and to other adults who know them well. Our main aim is to make learning accessible for everyone, and to help adults to understand how to best support children. We sometimes help when things feel really stuck, and with things like when children have experienced something really traumatic, when children don’t want to go into school, or when young people feel really anxious. We use psychology and psychological evidence to guide all of our work.
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My Typical Day:
I get up at 7, and spend the first part of my morning grabbing breakfast and getting my boys ready for school. Then I often head into a school to meet a child or young person, and often meet their teacher and parents too. I might go into the office for lunch and start writing my report, or go into another school or nursery and meet another child. I usually get home around 5.30pm.
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The main part of my job is thinking about how to use psychology to help children and families to understand learning. I spend lots of a typical day with children and young people, visiting them either in school or nursery, but sometimes at home. I use psychological tools and assessments to help to get a better understanding of what is going on. I also work a lot with adults who support children – either providing them with additional skills and resources, or offering problem solving support when things feel difficult.
I spend lots of my day in the car, out and about. I occasionally pop back into the office either to meet with colleagues and catch up, or to pick up additional resources and assessments. I also spend time working at home writing up my reports and sorting out admin stuff.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Help to broaden awareness of what Educational psychologists do, and engage more young people in the profession. Talks for sixth form and undergrads and shadowing opportunities (the money would cover student travel expenses).
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Education:
I went to Wodensfield Primary School in Wolverhampton, and then Coppice High School (which is also in Wolverhampton). I stayed there for A levels, and then went on to Loughborough University where I studied Social Psychology.
I then went to University of East London to study for my Doctorate in Educational and Child Psychology.
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Qualifications:
GCSE: English Literature, English Language, Science, French, Maths, Geography, History, Drama, Technology (Grades A*- C – I can’t remember exactly what I got for which subject!)
A Level: Psychology (B), English Literature (C) History (B)
BSc (Hons) Social Psychology (2:1)
Professional Doctorate in Educational and Child Psychology
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Work History:
Assistant Psychologist – CAMHS
Assistant Psychologist – Adult learning difficulties
Learning Support Assistant – Brussels English Primary School
Learning Support Assistant – British School of Brussels
Learning Mentor – Primary School (London)
Extended School Coordinator – Secondary School (London)
Assistant Headteacher (Pastoral care, behaviour, attendance, safeguarding) – Secondary School
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Smiley child psychologist
What did you want to be after you left school?
A psychologist! :)
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not really, maybe a bit too chatty.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
The Corteeners
What's your favourite food?
Pizza. (But absolutely never with pineapple.)
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1. For my family to be healthy and happy. 2. To be able to click my fingers and be anywhere else that I choose (I spend a lot of time in the car!) 3. To be able to live in a house with a swimming pool.
Tell us a joke.
A bear walks into a bar and says 'Give me a beer................................ and a bag of crisps. 'Why the big pause?' asks the barman. The bear shrugged, 'I dunno, I was born with them'.
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