Educational Psychology Assistant

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 andwork 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 EP service has close connections with the London Doctorate courses and has supervisors from the UCL / IOE doctorate program among the team.

Cognus EPS consistsof qualified Educational Psychologists, and Trainee Educational Psychologistsas well as four mental health practitioners who work as part of the SuttonWellbeing Service. We offer a traded service to schools in Sutton as well asother local settings and work on a number of commissioned projects with otherprofessional groups and organisations in the local area. The team worksdirectly in schools, and liaises closely with school staff, parents/carers andother professionals.

Main duties of the job

a) To apply psychology for the benefit of children, young people and their families.

b) To work aspart of the Educational Psychology Service out of a local school/college.

c) To workunder the guidance of qualified Educational Psychologists to assist inproviding intervention, training and other agreed support.

d) This roleis a term-time only fixed term contract to July 2026 with the potential to be extended.

Note: This is a temporary post suitable for psychology graduates who are awaiting, or proposingto apply for, admission to an approved course of post-graduate training leadingto a doctorate-level qualification in the professional practice of Educational Psychology, recognised by the Health and Care Professions Council.

About us

Cognus Limited is aLocal Authority Traded Company, which is commissioned by the London BoroughofSutton to provide education services to early years providers, mainstreamschools and specialist education settings in Sutton. Wholly owned by thelocalauthority, we deliver a wide range of high-quality services to deliverexcellent practice that improve the lives of children, young people, andfamilies in Sutton and beyond.

You will give us great commitment and in return we offer anexcellent package including:

i) Pro-rata salary of £26,383.25 per annum(fixed-term contract to July 2026)

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 includingEmployee Assistance Programme, life insurance, employee benefits platform and(upon completion of probation) health care.[ Cognus reserves the right to adjust these additionaldiscretionary benefits to improve quality of their services provided, maintainaffordability for the Company and to ensure benefits remain fit for purposewith staff needs.]

vii) Staff EDI group and Mental Health FirstAiders to support wellbeing and inclusion

viii) Cognus Coaching Programmes

ix) An ambitious culture with friendly and supportivecolleagues

Job responsibilities

PRINCIPLE ACCOUNTABILITIES:

All duties undertaken will be subject to supervision by appropriatelyqualified Educational Psychologists employed within the Service.

The duties and responsibilities allocated to the post holder willdepend upon their knowledge, skills and experience at the time, as judged bytheir supervisor and line manager.

Subject to these general conditions, the post holder may be required toundertake any or all of the following duties as from time to time areconsidered appropriate to their capability, under such level of supervision asmay be deemed necessary by their supervisors:

• To support school-based interventions for children and young peopleattending School/College

This could include the following:

a) To implementprogrammes of intervention to overcome barriers to learning/inclusion and topromote the social and emotional well-being of pupils.

b) Toundertake, and assist others in undertaking, the assessment of pupils in orderto clarify their learning, social and emotional needs.

c) To provide, where appropriate, direct support to pupils and theirparents/carers through training or therapeutic interventions with individualsor groups.

d) To assistEducational Psychologists in the delivery of training and professionaldevelopment for school staff, and training for parents/carers.

e) To assist inresearch activities, including the collection, analysis and maintenance ofdata, and in the production of information for officers of the authority,schools, parents etc.

f) To maintain accurate and detailed records of work undertaken, inaccordance with Service and Authority policies, and provide written reportswhere required.

g) To apply a range of different psychological tools and methods with pupils.

h) To workalongside Educational Psychologists to develop the skills to work at a systemiclevel.

i) To undertake appropriate Continuing Professional Development and develop knowledge of current theories and working practices within EducationalPsychology.

j) To maintain accurate andtimely records on systems such as Case Management, Synergy as required.

k) To keepappropriate written documentation using the framework set up by Cognus EPS andmaintain confidentiality.

COMPETENCIES

a) Ability torelate to children and young people, parents and professionals, with integrity,sensitivity and clarity, using psychology to inform consultations, assessmentsand relevant interventions.

b) Ability towork with a range of staff within educational environments, including Seniormanagers, SENCOs, teachers and learning support assistants to support thedevelopment of children and young people.

c) Ability towork with professionals from a variety of disciplines, including those fromhealth, social care and voluntary sector organisations to promote children andyoung peoples wellbeing and their development.

d) Ability toorganise and prioritise workloads, and to manage time effectively.

e) Experienceworking in partnership with multi-disciplinary teams and the ability to workunder pressure.

f) Confidentworking autonomously and building strong therapeutic relationships withchildren/young people and families.

g) Anunderstanding special educational needs and the education system.

h) Anunderstanding of restorative and trauma informed practice.

i) Competencein the use of information communication technology equipment in order toundertake a range of administrative tasks.

j) Ability toreflect and develop practice within a supervision framework.

Person Specification

Experience

• a) Experience of having applied psychology-based knowledge and skills to work with children and young people and professionals in educational and/or community settings.
• b) Experience of delivering training.
• c) Experience of delivering group activities with primary and/or secondary aged children and young people.
• d) Knowledge of current educational policy and practice.
• e) Experience of working to support a diverse and multicultural community with a broad range of needs.
• f) Experience working in partnership with multi-disciplinary teams and the ability to work under pressure.
• g) An awareness of issues relation to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• h) Knowledge and awareness of safeguarding issues.
• i) Experience of working in a multi-agency team.
• Candidates must be able to demonstrate the ability to:
• a) Values strong partnership working with parents, carers, schools and children and young people and other agencies, ensuring a multi-agency approach
• b) Strong organisational skills and superb with deadlines
• c) Strong oral and written communication skills
• d) Ability to remain objective and act confidentially
• e) Professional, courteous and strong customer service skills
• f) Work as part of a team, sharing working knowledge and skills
• g) Work flexibly, able to re-arrange work in relation to changing priorities and to meet the needs of the business
• h) Able to support the safe delivery of activities
• i) Work confidently and autonomously in building strong therapeutic relationships with children/young people and families
• j) A thorough understanding of restorative and trauma informed practice
• k) In line with service delivery needs, the post holder may be required to work outside normal office hours, for which prior notice will be given
• l) If appointed, it will be your responsibility as an employee of Cognus Limited to treat all sensitive data that you will have access to during the course of your employment in line with the mandatory protocols to ensure data protection and compliance at all times. Act in accordance with GDPR

Qualifications

• Good Honours degree in Psychology or equivalent recognised by BPS and which satisfies the BPS requirements for graduate basis for registration (GBR)

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.