Cognus EducationalPsychology Service is looking to recruit an Educational Psychology Assistant(EPA) to join the team. The Assistant will be based in a local school or college and work under the supervision of an Educational Psychologist in the Cognus team. This is an exciting opportunity for an aspiring Educational Psychologist to develop skills in a number of areas prior to applying for a place on the doctoral training course. Cognus EPS has close connections with the London Doctorate courses and has supervisors from the UCL / IOE doctorate program among the team.
Cognus EPS consists of qualified Educational Psychologists, and Trainee Educational Psychologists as well as four mental health practitioners who work as part of the Sutton Wellbeing Service. We offer a traded service to schools in Sutton as well as other local settings and work on a number of commissioned projects with other professional groups and organisations in the local area. The team works directly in schools, and liaises closely with school staff, parents/carers and other professionals.
Main duties of the job
a) To apply psychology for the benefit of children, young people and their families.
b) To work as part of the Educational Psychology Service out of a local school/college.
c) To work under the guidance of qualified Educational Psychologists to assist in providing intervention, training and other agreed support.
d) This role is a term-time only fixed term contract to July 2027 with the potential to be extended.
Note: This is a temporary post suitable for psychology graduates who are awaiting, or proposing to apply for, admission to an approved course of post-graduate training leading to a doctorate-level qualification in the professional practice of Educational Psychology, recognised by the Health and Care Professions Council.
About us
Cognus Limited is a Local Authority Traded Company, which is commissioned by the London Borough of Sutton to provide education services to early years providers, mainstream schools and specialist education settings in Sutton. Wholly owned by the local authority, we deliver a wide range of high-quality services to improve the lives of children, young people, and families in Sutton and beyond.
You will give us great commitment and in return we offer an excellent package including:
i) Starting salary of £25706.72 for 38 weeks (Contract from September 2026 to July 2027)
ii) Workplace pension scheme 4% to 8% matched contributions
iii) 28 days annual leave pro rata (plus Bank Holidays)
iv) Regular manager support and supervision
v) Hybrid and flexible working
vi) Staff benefits package; currently including Employee Assistance Programme, life insurance, employee benefits platform and (upon completion of probation) health care
vii) Staff EDI group and Mental Health First Aiders to support wellbeing and inclusion
viii) Cognus Coaching Programmes
ix) An ambitious culture with friendly and supportive colleagues
Job responsibilities
PRINCIPLE ACCOUNTABILITIES:
All duties undertaken will be subject to supervision by appropriately qualified Educational Psychologists employed within the Service.
The duties and responsibilities allocated to the post holder will depend upon their knowledge, skills and experience at the time, as judged by their supervisor and line manager.
Subject to these general conditions, the post holder may be required to undertake any or all of the following duties as from time to time are considered appropriate to their capability, under such level of supervision as may be deemed necessary by their supervisors:
To support school-based interventions for children and young people attending School / College
This could include the following:
- To implement programmes of intervention to overcome barriers to learning/inclusion and to promote the social and emotional well‑being of pupils.
- To undertake, and assist others in undertaking, the assessment of pupils in order to clarify their learning, social and emotional needs.
- To provide, where appropriate, direct support to pupils and their parents/carers through training or therapeutic interventions with individuals or groups.
- To assist Educational Psychologists in the delivery of training and professional development for school staff, and training for parents/carers.
- To assist in research activities, including the collection, analysis and maintenance of data, and in the production of information for officers of the authority, schools, parents etc.
- To maintain accurate and detailed records of work undertaken, in accordance with Service and Authority policies, and provide written reports where required.
- To apply a range of different psychological tools and methods with pupils.
- To work alongside Educational Psychologists to develop the skills to work at a systemic level.
- To undertake appropriate Continuing Professional Development and develop knowledge of current theories and working practices within Educational Psychology.
- To maintain accurate and timely records on systems such as Case Management, Synergy as required.
- To keep appropriate written documentation using the framework set up by Cognus EPS and maintain confidentiality.
- Ability to relate to children and young people, parents and professionals, with integrity, sensitivity and clarity, using psychology to inform consultations, assessments and relevant interventions.
- Ability to work with a range of staff within educational environments, including Senior managers, SENCOs, teachers and learning support assistants to support the development of children and young people.
- Ability to work with professionals from a variety of disciplines, including those from health, social care and voluntary sector organisations to promote children and young people’s wellbeing and their development.
- Ability to organise and prioritise workloads, and to manage time effectively.
- Experience working in partnership with multi-disciplinary teams and the ability to work under pressure.
- Confident working autonomously and building strong therapeutic relationships with children/young people and families.
- An understanding of special educational needs and the education system.
- An understanding of restorative and trauma informed practice.
- Competence in the use of information communication technology equipment in order to undertake a range of administrative tasks.
- Ability to reflect and develop practice within a supervision framework.
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