In-TACT

In-TACT Multi-Disciplinary Service: Supporting Inclusion and Wellbeing Across Discovery

At Discovery Trust, we believe every pupil deserves the opportunity to thrive, academically, socially, and emotionally. To support this mission, we offer access to In-TACT.

What is In-TACT?

In-TACT is our multidisciplinary service which stands for Inclusion, Therapies, Assessment, Consultation & Training and has been designed to provide holistic support across Discovery schools and Partnership schools who have entered into an agreement with Discovery with view to onboarding at a future date with our Trust. Led by the Principal Educational Psychologist, Dr. Paula Hopkins, In-TACT brings together expertise in psychology and counselling and will develop quickly to include speech and language therapy (SALT), Occupational Therapy, Play Therapy and Music Therapy.

EPIC Psychology:

EPIC Psychology stands as a cornerstone of our inclusive approach and is the lead team within In-TACT, offering a tiered model of support to Discovery schools. The team, comprising of three Educational Psychologists, three Assistants and a full-time Administrator, provides Discovery schools with comprehensive psychological support, working collaboratively with colleagues, pupils, and families to nurture wellbeing, uncover barriers to learning and raise achievement. Our team of specialists is dedicated to early identification of needs, timely intervention, and empowering everyone in the school community with the tools and knowledge to support mental health and inclusion. Through a dynamic blend of preventative strategies, training, and direct therapeutic work, EPIC Psychology helps to embed a culture of understanding and resilience, ensuring every pupil can access opportunities to succeed.

For Discovery Schools we offer a 4-tiered system; working with the central team (such as critical incident, behaviour policy, conferences), an enhanced universal offer, a triaged universal offer and a link work menu for schools allocated days from equity funding:

Universal Offer:

Includes planning meetings, Synergy topics (collaborative, discussion-based training events), neurodiversity webinars, ELSA training and supervision, parent webinars, and wellbeing surveys.

Universal Plus Offer:

Includes screener work, interventions and project evaluations, Psychometric assessment training for SENDCos, EP representation at ELSA Network meetings, training for school staff to run interventions (such as Understanding my Neurodiversity, Cool Minds, Viewpoints, Growing Talents for Friendships, EPIC Detectives etc.), delivering a pilot project with a research base e.g. MeLSA training and supervision plus working with special schools and the National Autistic Society regarding accreditation.

Triaged Offer:

Targeted therapeutic interventions for pupils and families, TA support groups, counselling, and SALT.

Link Work Menu:

Schools use allocated days for bespoke support such as colleague supervision, child assessments, therapeutic work, consultation drop-ins for class teachers, training and anything else the school may require specific to their needs.

EPIC Psychology support two schools who are in a Partnership with Discovery and offer a 2-tiered system of support:

Universal Offer: Core services available to all (as above).
Link Work Menu: Purchased days for tailored support (as above).

Counselling:

The In-TACT Service provides dedicated 1:1 counselling support for children and young people aged nine and above. Delivered over a structured programme of six sessions, the service offers a safe and supportive space to explore challenges, build resilience, and enhance emotional wellbeing. As demand grows, this provision will be expanded to ensure even greater access and impact.

SALT (Speech and Language Therapy) Service

Our SALT service supports children with speech, language, and communication needs through tailored, evidence-based interventions. Working closely with schools and families, we help children build confidence, improve communication, and thrive in their learning. As the service grows, we aim to introduce a tiered model of support—like EPIC Psychology—to ensure every child receives the right help at the right time.

Innovation and Impact:

EPIC’s work is informed by research and evaluated for impact. Recent interventions have shown measurable improvements in cooperation, attribution understanding, and friendship patterns among pupils in Key Stage 1. It is the aim of In-TACT that research-based work is written for publication to share our good practice and that we progress year on year in line with the areas of need in our schools.