Senior Educational Psychologist OCC615788

Job details

Salary range: £56,540 - £61,848 per annum, plus 3 discretionary SPA points. 

• Successful candidates may be eligible to claim up to £8000 in relocation expenses

Work location: Samuelson House, Banbury 

Hours per week: 37 - we are open to discussions about flexible working  

Contract type: Permanent 

Vetting requirements: This role is subject to a criminal records check

Closing date: Sunday 28th April 2024

Interview date: Tuesday 7th May 2024

About us

Join Oxfordshire County Council on an exciting journey towards Delivering the Future Together, our ambitious transformation programme which is enabling us to be an employer, partner, and place shaper of choice.  We’re seeking the right people who can help us get there while embracing our value of ‘daring to do it differently’, as we continue to strive to do better.

Oxfordshire Educational Psychology Service consists of a friendly, supportive team of Educational Psychologists, Trainee Educational Psychologists, Assistant Educational Psychologists and dedicated administrative support staff. We benefit from close links with doctoral training courses and value the contribution of Trainee EPs to our service each year. We are in a position to expand to meet increasing demand for high quality service delivered from an established traded service with schools and other partners. There are three area teams, based in Banbury, Abingdon and Oxford.

About the role

In this role, you will support the Principal Educational Psychologist with the strategic development of the Educational Psychology (EP) service. You will aim to improve the learning and achievement for children and young people with SEND, working with the service, SEND Managers, wider education colleagues and other service areas, partners and key stakeholders.

The service is distributed into three area teams, each Senior EP leads an area team and will also undertake some casework themselves. We apply our psychological skills and knowledge to ensure the best possible outcomes and opportunities for children and young people. We work collaboratively with young people themselves, their parent/carers, educational setting staff and other professionals working closely with children and young people. As a Senior Educational Psychologist, you will play a crucial role in providing strategic, operational leadership and management support to the Oxfordshire Educational Psychology Service to deliver a range of psychological services for children, young people, their families and schools. There is the opportunity to provide training and support in a range of areas, including Emotional Literacy Support Assistant training and supervision, SENCo supervision for school staff, a maths course designed by the EPS, Postvention training and Critical Incident Support.

We are a team of reflective practitioners who value professional development and strong peer support to ensure that we consistently develop and maintain skills and knowledge. As a member of the team, you will be well supported through an initial induction period and then regular line management and supervision thereafter, with opportunities to develop areas of interest and collaborative working with colleagues. Part time working is available.

We are also recruiting for other positions within our team, please click below for more information:

• Educational Psychologist 
• Principal Educational Psychologist 

About you

We are looking for someone who:

• Is a professionally qualified Educational Psychologist with registration to the HCPC
• Is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults
• Has excellent communication and interpersonal skills 
• Seeks opportunities for personal development 
• Works within a consultative/joint problem-solving framework 
• Actively challenges all forms of discrimination and promotes equal opportunities, inclusion and diversity
• Is enthusiastic, creative and determined to make a positive impact on children’s lives through the application of psychology
• Has excellent written communication skills and competent use of information technology
• Has good diary management/organisational skills
• Is a supportive team member who contributes to the service development

Rewards and benefits

We offer:

• Opportunities to apply psychology creatively in different contexts
• Stimulating Continuing Professional Development opportunities
• Comprehensive induction process with a reduced patch for newly qualified EPs
• Excellent peer support
• Flexible agile working. Each EP is provided with a wireless enabled laptop and phone as well as excellent on-demand IT support
• Dedicated administrative support

It really is true that every single job role here contributes to bettering the lives of the people in our county - we want to do this for our employees too. We are proud of our strong flexible working culture, including the opportunity for flexibility on working hours and the use of technology to support agile working. We offer some of the very best learning and development opportunities to support your ongoing development.

We have a generous holiday allowance which rises as you remain in employment with us up to 32 days, as well as giving you the option to buy additional holiday. You will also have access to a Local Government Pension Scheme with employer contributions of up to 19.9% of your salary; a range of local and national retail discounts; and a host of enhanced family friendly policies including carers leave and paid time off for volunteering.

Would you like to know more?

Please click here to view the Job Description and Selection Criteria 

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact 

• Deborah Smit, Head of SEND/Interim Principal Educational Psychologist, on 07919308745 or Deborah.Smit@Oxfordshire.gov.uk

Or 

• Kathryn Davidson, Senior Educational Psychologist (North) and Interim Assistant Principal Educational Psychologist, on 07584 909498 or Kathryn.Davidson@Oxfordshire.gov.uk

Application Procedure

To apply, please complete an online application form by clicking either of the Apply Now buttons at the top and bottom of this advert. This includes a section asking you to explain how you meet the selection criteria, as specified in the job posting. You may attach a cover letter and/or CV to your application form, however it is not mandatory.   

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