Principal Educational Psychologist

Job title: Principal Educational Psychologist

Salary: £68,033 - £74,632

Hours: 37

Contract: Permanent

Location: Leeds

As our Principal Educational Psychologist, you are motivated by your belief that every child and young person should have the support they need to unlock their full potential as they learn and grow.

It’s about more than excellent service delivery in the here and now, you’ll seize the opportunity to realise your vision for an educational psychology service that’s fit for the future. You will keep children and young people central to your thinking, engaging them and their families throughout so they truly have a say in their lives and learning.

This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference to learning inclusion for thousands of children in a major city. You will hold a leadership position in a large local authority with well-established strategic links to health and care partners and close working relationships with schools and other education settings.

Educational psychology is central to our learning inclusion service. We are part of Leeds City Council’s children’s services, rated outstanding by Ofsted at the last inspection. Our culture of restorative practice and a family valued model is strongly embedded, guiding our relentless focus on the goals set out in the Leeds Children and Young People's Plan 2023-2028.

We are committed to the ambition of Child Friendly Leeds. We want Leeds to be a city where all children are safe, happy and healthy, do well at school, fulfil their potential and grow up to be active citizens with voice and influence.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About You

As our Principal Educational Psychologist you will hold a degree in psychology (with eligibility for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society) and a postgraduate qualification in Educational Psychology through either:

• Qualified Teacher Status (with minimum of 2 years’ teaching experience) and MSc training in Educational Psychology; or
• minimum of 2 years’ experience of working with children and young people and 3-year doctorate training in Educational Psychology.

Candidates must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.

You will also bring to the role:

• substantial management experience in an educational psychology service, with a track record of effectively translating policy into evident service delivery and outcomes
• effective people management and leadership skills, supporting individuals and teams to promote a ‘can do’ attitude and culture of continuous improvement
• a collaborative approach with the ability to forge successful partnerships, influence, negotiate and establish credibility for the service in a multi-agency environment
• in-depth understanding of regulation, legislation and policy, and the local and national issues that impact service strategy and delivery
• commitment to children and young people’s voice and influence, actively involving them and their families in decision making and working together towards agreed outcomes
• commitment to using supervision, mentoring and coaching to develop your own practice and that of colleagues

About The Role

As our Principal Educational Psychologist, you will lead and manage Leeds Educational Psychology Team. We are a large, dynamic and creative team of psychologists with a range of experience and interests, who work with colleagues and partners across the city.

Within this system-wide context, we collaborate on exciting initiatives such as our trauma-informed approach to transform the response for young people affected by adverse experiences, and ongoing work supporting settings to further meet the needs of young people with neurodiversity. We work closely with the Virtual School, Youth Justice Service and Area Inclusion Partnerships to support children with social, emotional and mental health needs and reduce exclusions.

We place great emphasis on developing the educational psychologists of the future, with assistant EPs and trainee EPs integral to the team. Our strong links with universities support doctoral training and enhance research and development opportunities for the whole team.

Initially you’ll direct your leadership expertise to working alongside an established group of Senior Educational Psychologists to achieve the goals set out in the team plan. Your role will involve augmenting an existing strong team through focused recruitment and retention strategies.

What We Offer You

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How To Apply

Please complete the online application form at the Leeds Jobs website, where you will also find our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Dan Barton, Deputy Director of Learning. Call 07907 401392 or email daniel.barton@leeds.gov.uk.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.

We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds. Leeds City Council is recognised in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2024. We are also an Age-friendly Employer, a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Leader.

All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period.

This role is based in the UK. Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK - either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK and the role does not meet eligibility for sponsorship, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility to apply.