Is this page intended for solicitors or for the court?

The page is primarily intended for solicitors and legal teams who are identifying and instructing an expert. The resulting report is prepared to assist the court or tribunal, and the expert's duty is independent of the instructing party.

What is an occupational psychologist expert witness?

An occupational psychologist expert witness applies specialist knowledge of psychological functioning in relation to work, job demands, assessment, employability, workplace systems and occupational environments. The expert may help the court or tribunal understand how a person is likely to function in a particular occupational context and what conclusions can reasonably be drawn from the psychological and employment evidence.

What is an education expert witness?

An education expert witness provides an independent professional opinion on matters within their educational expertise. Depending on their qualifications and experience, this may include educational provision, teaching, SEND systems, SENCO practice, school leadership, placement suitability, educational disruption, attendance, implementation and transition planning.

Are you an Educational Psychologist?

No. Matt Bell's psychology discipline is Occupational Psychology. His education expert evidence is based on his separate experience and qualifications as a teacher, SENCO and headteacher. Where an Educational Psychologist's opinion is required, that need will be identified and the instruction will remain within the appropriate professional scope.

Can one report address both education and employment?

Sometimes. A combined opinion may be particularly useful where educational history, SEND, preparation for adulthood and future employability are closely connected. The scope must still be defined carefully, and any need for another expert discipline should be identified at the outset.

Do you decide whether discrimination or a legal breach occurred?

No. An expert may provide an opinion on psychological functioning, occupational demands, educational practice, provision or the practical effects of adjustments. The interpretation of the law and the legal outcome remain matters for the court or tribunal.

Can you act for either party?

Yes, subject to conflict checks and scope. The same independent method applies regardless of which party gives the instruction, and the opinion is not changed to support a particular side.

Can you act as a single joint expert?

Single joint instructions can be considered where the court or tribunal permits them and the questions fall within the expert's knowledge, skills and experience.

What information is required before you can quote?

A quotation normally requires the proposed questions, jurisdiction, deadline, likely assessment requirements, approximate document volume and whether post-report questions, expert meetings or oral evidence may be required.

How quickly can an expert witness report be completed?

Timescales depend on urgency, assessment requirements, the volume of evidence and the complexity of the questions. Following the initial conflict and scope check, availability and a realistic timetable will be confirmed in writing.

What are the fees for expert witness work?

Fees are quoted following the conflict and scope check. The quotation will distinguish, where relevant, between document review, assessment, report preparation, written questions, conferences, joint statements, travel and oral evidence.

Research & Innovation | Navigate SEND

Why our research matters

People do not develop in separate boxes. Communication, learning, wellbeing, identity, skills, relationships, participation, environment and future aspirations interact over time. Yet assessment, support planning, teaching, therapy, training and career development are often treated as separate activities.

This fragmentation can delay understanding, duplicate work and leave useful evidence sitting in reports rather than shaping everyday support. Our research is designed to close that gap: creating clearer evidence, better decisions, practical action and a continuous route towards participation and adulthood.

Expert evidence where education, psychology and employment overlap

Some cases cannot be understood properly through a single test result, diagnosis, school record or employment history.

A person’s functioning is affected by the interaction between:

their abilities, needs and psychological profile;
the learning or work tasks they are expected to complete;
the environment in which they are expected to function;
the support, adjustments and provision available to them;
the consistency with which that support has been implemented;
their educational and employment history over time.

My approach brings these elements together.

The purpose is not to make a report longer or more complicated. It is to produce an opinion that is more clearly connected to the real questions before the court or tribunal: what the evidence demonstrates, what remains uncertain, what alternative explanations need to be considered and what conclusions can reasonably be drawn.

Our view of careers

A career is not a single job choice made at 16 or 18. It is the developing pattern of learning, participation, life roles, contribution and work across the lifespan. The foundations begin with access, communication, agency, identity, relationships, skills and opportunity.

What we do

Develop and validate assessment tools

We create and test practical ways of understanding needs, strengths, participation, environmental fit and potential. We examine whether questions and results are clear, reliable, fair and useful.

Connect evidence to action

We explore how assessment findings can support person-centred outcomes, practical targets, reasonable adjustments, teaching, therapy, training and review.

Build whole-person frameworks

We study how capabilities, characteristics and competencies interact, so that difficulties are not considered without strengths, identity, context and future potential.

Evaluate real-world implementation

We work with families, schools, professionals and organisations to test usability, feasibility, adoption, impact and value in everyday settings.

Support preparation for adulthood

We research the developmental foundations of further education, independent living, relationships, meaningful occupation and work across the lifespan.

Turn learning into training

We convert evidence into role-specific guidance and professional learning so that tools are used safely, consistently and in ways that improve practice.

Our research themes

Earlier understanding and identification: Recognising barriers, emerging needs and strengths before difficulties become entrenched.
Fair and responsible assessment: Psychometrics, accessibility, inclusive language, bias testing, transparent limitations and human review.
Strengths, identity and potential: Understanding what matters to the person, what engages them and what may develop with the right opportunity.
Curriculum, targets and implementation: Translating evidence into practical development priorities, support, teaching and review.
Preparation for adulthood and career: Building agency, adaptability, participation, independence and meaningful future pathways over time.
Complex and acquired needs: Understanding changed or uneven profiles, including acquired or traumatic brain injury and complex presentations.
Digital inclusion and responsible technology: Creating secure, accessible and usable systems that support — rather than replace — professional judgement.

How we work

Every project is different, but our work follows a consistent evidence-to-impact process:

1	Define the question Agree the problem, population, context, intended outcome and decisions the work needs to support.
2	Co-design with the people affected Involve children and young people where appropriate, families, practitioners, settings and subject specialists from the outset.
3	Develop and test Build or refine the tool, method, content, workflow or training and check that it is understandable and usable.
4	Pilot in real settings Collect structured evidence across relevant people, settings and groups, with appropriate consent, safeguarding and data governance.
5	Analyse and validate Examine quality, reliability, validity, fairness, feasibility, implementation and limitations.
6	Apply, review and share Translate learning into practical tools, targets, training and implementation guidance; review impact and publish learning where appropriate.

Our research principles

Person first	Needs, strengths, identity, environment, aspirations and opportunity are considered together.
Evidence before claims	We only make claims that the available data and analysis can support.
Co-design with purpose	Participation should influence the work, not simply endorse decisions already made.
Fairness and accessibility	We actively examine who can access, understand and benefit from a tool — and where it may work differently.
Human judgement	Technology supports professional and person-centred decision-making; it does not replace it.
Privacy and safeguarding by design	Data minimisation, clear consent, secure access and proportionate governance are built into approved projects.
Practical value	Research should improve understanding, action or outcomes — not create additional paperwork without benefit.
Transparency	We communicate uncertainty, limits, conflicts and areas requiring further work.

Who we work with

Children, young people, adults and families through appropriate and approved participation routes.
Schools, SENCOs, multi-academy trusts, specialist settings and alternative provision.
Local authorities, education partnerships and public services.
Educational, occupational and other psychologists, therapists and SEND professionals.
Case managers, rehabilitation teams and acquired-brain-injury specialists.
Universities, researchers, evaluators and professional bodies.
Employers, training providers and organisations supporting preparation for adulthood and work.
Funders, commissioners, charities and technology partners interested in responsible innovation.

Independence and duty to the court or tribunal

My role as an expert is not to advocate for the person or organisation that instructs me.

My duty is to assist the court or tribunal on matters within my expertise. That means I will:

give my own independent opinion;
consider evidence that supports and detracts from that opinion;
identify where evidence is incomplete;
explain where more than one reasonable interpretation exists;
state where I cannot reach a definite conclusion;
identify matters outside my expertise;
revise my opinion if material new evidence requires it;
avoid expressing legal conclusions reserved for the court or tribunal.

Where CPR Part 35 applies, the report will be prepared in accordance with Part 35, Practice Direction 35 and the relevant instructions or court order. In other jurisdictions, the applicable tribunal rules, practice directions and case directions will be followed.

Projects and opportunities

Our research hub brings together current projects, upcoming opportunities and completed learning. Each project has its own page explaining the purpose, who can take part, what involvement may include and how information will be protected.

Current projects

Research and development programmes that are open, active or preparing to recruit.

Upcoming opportunities

Future pilots, co-design groups, expert panels, validation studies and implementation partnerships.

Completed work and learning

Findings, evidence summaries, practical resources and next steps from completed programmes.

Publications and resources

Technical papers, guidance, briefings, tools and materials produced through our work.

Work with us

We welcome conversations with organisations and individuals who can help design, test, evaluate, implement or scale useful innovation.

Host or support a pilot.
Contribute professional, academic or lived-experience expertise.
Support appropriate participant recruitment.
Review assessment content, reports, curriculum or training.
Evaluate implementation, outcomes or economic impact.
Explore future adoption, commissioning or integration.
Fund, sponsor or co-develop a research programme.

See our thinking in practice

Navigate SEND translates research into practical digital tools. Explore the portal to see how whole-person evidence can be organised, combined and turned into clearer next steps. Any prototype or research functionality should be used only in line with its stated purpose and limitations.

Is your research only about children and young people?

No. Much of our work begins with earlier understanding and education, but our occupational psychology approach considers development, participation and career across the lifespan.

Do Navigate SEND tools diagnose conditions?

No. Our tools are designed to organise structured evidence and support human-led assessment, planning and review. They do not replace appropriate diagnostic, clinical or statutory processes.

Can families and people with lived experience contribute?

Yes, where there is an appropriate, accessible and approved route. Each project explains who can participate and what safeguarding, consent and data-protection arrangements apply.

Can organisations commission or co-develop research?

Yes. We welcome conversations about research, evaluation, tool development, implementation and training that fit our purpose and standards.

How do you protect information?

Each approved project has proportionate privacy, consent, safeguarding, data-sharing and research-governance arrangements before participant data is collected.

Where can I find specific participation opportunities?

Each open or upcoming project has a separate page linked from the Projects and Opportunities section of this hub.

Turning better understanding into better lives