Supporting psychology teachers through cross-sector collaboration

What I love most about working at Westminster Tutors Independent Sixth Form College is our principal’s strong belief in nurturing talent and fostering a culture of excellence in a supportive environment. It was this philosophy that inspired me to make a greater contribution to the world of psychology teaching when I became chair of the British Psychological Society’s Standing Committee of Psychology Education in Schools and Colleges (SCoPESC) in July 2024. 

SCoPESC is a group of people - including psychology teachers, awarding body representatives, and members of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Academics Researchers and Teachers in Psychology (DART-P) Committee – who act as the voice of UK school and college psychology teachers. We have done this in many ways since I became chair. For example, I gave evidence for the British Psychology Society’s (BPS) responses to the government’s curriculum and SEND reviews. Seven fellow teachers and I also wrote a collection of articles about our experiences of teaching psychology, which featured on the front cover of the April 2025 issue of BPS’ magazine, The Psychologist. We also support the CPD of psychology teachers through our popular BPS Teachers’ Toolkit.

The toolkit was designed by the late Helen J Kitching, former DART-P chair and SCoPESC chair, as a unique collaboration between us, DART-P, and the Association for the Teaching of Psychology (the membership organisation for UK psychology teachers). It has free, BPS-approved resources on the following topics: careers, contemporary research, EDI, pastoral and mental health, pedagogy, personal statements and the transition to university, research methods and study skills. They are updated three times per year and are suitable for psychology teachers of all exam board specifications and course types. The feedback from those using the toolkit has been overwhelmingly positive, with teachers in the UK and further afield expressing their appreciation for these resources: 

“There is a lot of really great information, some of which is useful for all students within the school (and all staff)! I will certainly be passing on the information sheets on exam stress and learning strategies. Presented in a really straightforward way for everyone to understand.” A UK psychology teacher

“I’m a one-person department internationally, so it’s quite rare to be able to work with others and develop myself. I really enjoy using the toolkit as it isn’t specific to one exam board and acts as great CPD for me. It also allows me to take ideas easily into the classroom, which really helps to keep me motivated as a teacher. I’d highly recommend it to anyone working internationally, especially those with few opportunities for CPD like me.” An international psychology teacher

SCoPESC and the Association for the Teaching of Psychology (ATP) also support teachers through collaboration with other parts of the BPS and via the ATP’s membership of the European Federation of Psychology Teachers’ Associations (EFPTA). An exciting new initiative is ‘Connexit’, where psychology teachers and their classes from different member countries meet online at an agreed time to share experiences about their learning and build connections across borders.  

We are always looking for new contributors to the Toolkit! If you would like to become one, please contact me at [email protected].

You are also warmly invited to join us at the 2025 ATP Conference at the University of Warwick on 11-12 July 2025 and at the 2026 EFPTA Conference in Ljubjana, Slovenia on 16-19 April 2026. Further details can be found on the ATP and EFPTA websites.