Profile
Amber Newell
My CV
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Education:
I completed primary school at Bay Farm Elementary School, California. Then I moved to Singapore American School for middle school. I then complete my first two years of high school at Alameda High School, California before moving to India where I went to school at American School of Bombay. Finally I moved back to England and finished my schooling at St. Clare’s International School, Oxford.
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Qualifications:
St. Clare’s International School – International Baccalaureate Diploma. This qualification helped me secure a spot at University. It also allowed me to continue with 6 subjects, rather than reducing the number of subjects I did like you did in A-levels or equivalent. I always felt I did better in school with a wider range of subjects.
University of Durham – BSc Education Studies and Psychology. This was a BPS-certified undergraduate degree which I eventually needed in order to continue my training to be a psychologist. This course helped me to understand the ways that psychology can be applied in education and laid the foundations for the rest of my career.
University of Reading – MSc Developmental Psychopathology. After graduating from Durham I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do but knew I was interested in Psychology. I continued learning about psychology and had opportunities to start working with children and young people with learning difficulties.
University of Southampton – Doctorate in Educational Psychology. This is the course required to be completed in order to qualify as an Educational Psychologist in the UK.
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Work History:
- Carts and Stands Attendant, Legoland – that’s where met my now husband!
- Ascot Bar Host, Pennyhill Park Hotel
- Speech Therapist and Research Assistant (whilst completing my MSc)
- 1:1 Keyworker for a child with Selective Mutism
- Volunteer Befriender and Mentor for a charity called Family Friends
- Residential Mental Health Recovery Worker for a mental health charity called Together-UK
- Support Worker for a CAMHS psychiatric hospital
- Assistant Clinical psychologist
- Research Assessor for a large-scale research project
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Current Job:
- Trainee Educational Psychologist – now in my final year and due to qualify this summer
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About Me:
I’m in my final year of training to be an educational psychologist. In my free time I like to bake, go bouldering, and spend time with family and friends.
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I live in Reading with my husband and our pet cat, Spartacus. I moved around a lot as a child and have lived in California, Singapore and India. I love travelling and trying new foods from around the world. My hobbies include baking, bouldering and doing yoga.
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I work for the Local Authority and support schools within a local area. I work with children and young people to find out what they are good at and what they sometimes find hard. I find out what they like and don’t like about school. I use this information to work with lots of different people to try and make the changes that the child or young person would like to see. I might visit a child in school to have a chat with them, work together on an activity, do some questionnaires together or ask them some questions. After working together I usually write a report summarising our discussion and the activities we did together that is shared with adults who know the child well. I include some recommendations to help make school a more positive experience for the children, including any ideas they have come up with on their own.
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My Typical Day:
I am lucky because I get to spend my days working with and supporting children and young people. I work with children directly and also with adults and other professionals who know them well to try and make their school experience better.
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I start working around 9am and the first thing I usually do is check my e-mails. Then I usually have a couple of visits to different educational settings (e.g. primary/secondary schools, nursery, college) to meet with children, young people, families and school staff. I have a meeting with parents and school staff to discuss concerns they have about a child or young person and to find out how I can help. Then I will observe the child or young person and work with them one-to-one to find out more about and from them. In between visits to schools I write reports and emails to other professionals. Once a week I have supervision, which is an opportunity to speak with my manager about how my work is going and to get help from them on anything I am stuck with. We also have team meetings once a month.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I’d like to donate the prize money to a school who can use it to support their staff by encouraging training and buying of resources to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
good listener, problem-solver, flexible worker, advocator for children and young people
What did you want to be after you left school?
I wasn't sure but knew I wanted to work in education
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not really, I enjoyed and valued school.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
I really couldn't pick just one, but my favourite genre is country music.
What's your favourite food?
Mexican
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I'd wish for a healthy and happy family; a successful career and lots of opportunities for travelling.
Tell us a joke.
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
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