Job Title
- Educational Psychologist
Business Area
- Organisation wide
Contract Type
-Permanent
Working Pattern
- Full Time, Term Time Only
Pay Scale
-£43,000 - £61,000 (already pro-rata'd)
Role Purpose
The Educational Psychologist will be part of a multi-disciplinary therapeutic and assessment team, that will enable all children and young people to thrive within our organisation through the development of inclusive practices that remove barriers to learning. This will be achieved through working directly with children, young people and their families through the support and development of our colleagues to be able to deliver appropriate universal and targeted support within our sectors of Alternative Provision, Specialist College and Education and Skills Training Academies.
The Educational Psychologist plays a strategic and integral role in promoting inclusive, trauma -informed and psychologically grounded practices and will lead on the psychological understanding of student needs.
This role combines direct psychological assessment and intervention with whole-organisation leadership, staff development, and multi-agency collaboration. The Educational Psychologist will ensure that every student receives tailored, evidence-based support that enables them to thrive academically, socially and emotionally. They will also play key role in shaping policy, evaluating impact and embedding a culture of inclusion, equity and emotional wellbeing throughout the college.
Key Responsibilites
Psychological Assessment and Intervention
• Conduct in depth psychological assessments to understand the cognitive, emotional and behavioural needs of students.
• To design and implement interventions to help pupils overcome challenges and improve their personal development and academic performance.
• To work effectively with a range of key stakeholders across our organisation including our SENCOs, teaching and pastoral teams to enable them to ensure practice is inclusive of identified needs
• Provide direct therapeutic support to students, using approaches such as CBT, solution-focused therapy or trauma informed practices.
• To develop strategies and skills for the implementation of a range of therapeutic interventions to be delivered by non- therapists
• To provide supervision to colleagues as required.
• To determine if additional assessments such as speech and language, occupational therapy or dyslexia evaluations are necessary
• To support colleagues to facilitate collaboration between parents/ carers and Navigators to address and discuss concerns within the educational setting
• To provide support and guidance to teachers, parents, and other school staff in creating a positive learning environment for all students
Strategic Inclusion Leadership
• Lead on the development and implementation of inclusive practices across the organisation.
• Contribute to the design and evaluation of whole organisation strategies that promote emotional wellbeing, engagement and achievement.
• Support the leadership team in embedding a psychologically informed approach to behaviour, curriculum and pastoral care.
• Contribute to organisational policy and planning
Staff Development and Consultation
• Deliver training and professional development sessions for staff on topics such as trauma informed practice, emotional regulation and inclusive pedagogy.
• Provide psychological consultation and coaching to staff to support reflective practice and inclusive classroom strategies.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning and emotional literacy among staff.
Multi agency Collaboration and Family Engagement
• Work Collaboratively with external professionals including CAMHS, Social Care, and local authority SEND teams to ensure coordinated support.
• Engage with families and carers to share insights, build trust and support joined up planning for students.
• Contribute to multi-disciplinary meeting and reviews, including EHCP planning and safeguarding discussions.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Supervision
• Monitor the impact of psychological interventions and inclusion strategies using data to inform practice and planning.
• Maintain accurate records and contribute to reports for internal and external stakeholders.
Experience and Qualifications
Essential
• HCPC – registered Educational Psychologist
• Significant experience working with children and young people with SEND and SEMH needs.
• Proven ability to lead inclusion initiatives and influence whole-organisation practice.
• Experience in alternative provision, special education or therapeutic settings. Knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance e.g. SEND code of practice, Children and Families Act, Safeguarding frameworks.
Desirable
• Training in therapeutic approaches e.g. CBT, DDP, EMDR, mindfulness.
• Familiarity with trauma-informed and restorative practices.
Declarations
We aim to create and maintain a safe environment and community where all young people and adults feel safe, secure and valued. We work hard to create strong relationships and show a commitment to safeguarding all young people. Our work is classified as Regulated Activity as defined in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (SVGA). This role will include regular contact with Children 121 or group setting. This includes those that could be classified as vulnerable and both an understanding of and experience in adhering to UK safeguarding legislation is required. Further information relating to our Safeguarding, Child Protection, Ex-offender or Safer Recruitment policies are available upon request. All applications are assessed on an individual basis in relation to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974.
This post will require the successful candidate to complete our Disclosure Barring Service, Vulnerable Child and Adult register checks as well as reference checks. We may also carry out additional online searches such as social media as part of the selection process