Educational Psychologist

Overview

Buckinghamshire Council Educational Psychology Service

What if joining a local authority Educational Psychology Service meant having more opportunity to do the work you came into the profession to do?

At Buckinghamshire Council, we are in the unusual and fortunate position of being a fully staffed Educational Psychology Service. Following several years of successful recruitment, service development and investment, our team is thriving.

Now, through Buckinghamshire Council's ambitious Experts at Hand (E@H) programme, we are expanding again.

This additional investment enables us to grow capacity beyond our existing establishment, creating exciting opportunities for Educational Psychologists who want to help shape the future of Educational Psychology practice.

Rather than increasing capacity simply to manage demand, we are investing in Educational Psychology so that we can strengthen relationships with schools and partners, increase preventative and early intervention work, reduce the proportion of time spent on statutory activity, and create greater opportunities for creative, impactful and system-focused psychological practice.

If you are looking for a role where your skills can influence children, families, schools and the wider system, we'd love to hear from you.

In addition to the salary advertised, you will receive a market premium of £2,500 per annum. You will also be entitled to a one-off Golden Hello payment of £2,000 after successful probation (please note the Golden Hello payment is for external candidates only).

 

About us

Buckinghamshire EPS is a large, highly regarded and forward-thinking service comprising: Educational Psychologists, Assistant Educational Psychologists and Trainee Educational Psychologists.

The service is led by an experienced and supportive leadership team of Senior Educational Psychologists, Deputy Principal Educational Psychologists and the Principal Educational Psychologist, providing strong professional leadership, excellent supervision and opportunities for progression.

We are ambitious for the children and young people we serve, but equally ambitious for our staff.

We pride ourselves on being a warm, collaborative and reflective team where relationships matter. Whether sharing ideas, celebrating successes or supporting one another through challenges, you'll be joining colleagues who genuinely value working together.

Professional Development and Support

We recognise that high-quality professional development is essential to both practitioner wellbeing and excellent outcomes for children and young people.

All new colleagues benefit from a comprehensive and structured induction programme designed to ensure they feel welcomed, supported and confident in their role from day one.

We are committed to supporting professional growth throughout your career and provide:

• High-quality line management supervision.
• Access to clinical supervision.
• Long-established peer supervision networks.
• Quality assurance processes that support reflective practice and excellence in statutory work.
• A comprehensive continuing professional development programme delivered throughout the year.
• Opportunities to contribute to research, service development and strategic initiatives.
• Ongoing support to meet and maintain HCPC professional standards and requirements.

Whether you are approaching qualification, newly qualified or highly experienced, we are committed to helping you continue to develop and grow.

About the role

As an Educational Psychologist with Buckinghamshire Council, you will engage in a rewarding range of work across preventative, early intervention and statutory services.

Educational Psychologists contribute to Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments as part of their role. However, statutory work is carefully managed within a protected allocation model, enabling psychologists to maintain meaningful involvement in schools, projects and wider service developments.

Flexible Working That Works

This is a mobile and flexible role.

You will have the autonomy to manage your diary and work across a range of settings, including schools, homes, council offices and remote locations.

The service operates from bases in Aylesbury and High Wycombe, with additional workspace available in Amersham.

Our hybrid working model provides the flexibility to work where you can be most effective while remaining connected to a supportive and collaborative team.

We welcome applications from:

• HCPC Registered Educational Psychologists.
• Trainee Educational Psychologists at any stage of doctoral training who will be eligible for HCPC registration upon qualification.
• Newly qualified Educational Psychologists.
• Experienced practitioners seeking new opportunities for growth and influence.

Join Us

Buckinghamshire is investing in Educational Psychology because we believe psychology should be at the heart of supporting children, young people, families and schools.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a flourishing service that is expanding from a position of strength and helping to shape a future in which Educational Psychologists have greater opportunity to work preventatively, strategically and creatively.

You will also receive:

• Market premium payment of £2,500 per annum (pro-rata)
• Golden Hello payment of £2,000 (pro rata) following successful probation (external candidates only)
• Relocation package of up to £8,000 (subject to approval)
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Excellent wellbeing and employee benefits package

We will consider applications for full or part time working, and for those who are looking to relocate for the role, we offer a relocation package up to £8,000 subject to approval.

About you

We’re looking for dynamic individuals with up-to-date psychological skills and knowledge to make a tangible difference in the lives of children and young people in Buckinghamshire. You’ll need excellent interpersonal skills, be a committed team player, and be eager to contribute to the development of EP practice both locally and nationally.

Professional Development and Support

We recognise that high-quality professional development is essential to both practitioner wellbeing and excellent outcomes for children and young people.

All new colleagues benefit from a comprehensive and structured induction programme designed to ensure they feel welcomed, supported and confident in their role from day one.

We are committed to supporting professional growth throughout your career and provide:

• High-quality line management supervision.
• Access to clinical supervision.
• Long-established peer supervision networks.
• Quality assurance processes that support reflective practice and excellence in statutory work.
• A comprehensive continuing professional development programme delivered throughout the year.
• Opportunities to contribute to research, service development and strategic initiatives.
• Ongoing support to meet and maintain HCPC professional standards and requirements.

Whether you are approaching qualification, newly qualified or highly experienced, we are committed to helping you continue to develop and grow.

 

Other information

To arrange an informal discussion about the role, please contact either Deputy PEP:

Siobhan Hickey: [email protected]

Vic Ingram: [email protected]

You can also hear directly from our team through our videos:

Educational Psychology - Impact of Work

Educational Psychology - Learning & Growth

Closing Date

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient applications are received. We therefore encourage applicants to submit their applications as soon as possible.

Safeguarding

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions.
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (that are not filtered out) under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, as amended.

For further information regarding filtering, please refer to the guidance published by Nacro and the Ministry of Justice.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Why Buckinghamshire?

Buckinghamshire is an exciting place to practise Educational Psychology.

Our Principal Educational Psychologist is the strategic lead for Experts at Hand across Buckinghamshire Council, ensuring Educational Psychology plays a central role in the development and delivery of this innovative approach.

Experts at Hand is founded on a simple principle: providing earlier access to specialist expertise so that problems are addressed before they escalate.

For Educational Psychologists, this means creating more opportunities to:

• Build deeper and more meaningful relationships with schools and settings.
• Work collaboratively alongside education, health and care partners.
• Deliver consultation, intervention and workforce development at an earlier stage.
• Have greater influence at systems and strategic levels.
• Work creatively and innovatively in response to local needs.
• Spend more time on preventative work and less time firefighting.

As our service expands, so too will the opportunities for Educational Psychologists to influence policy, shape service delivery and lead innovative developments across the county.