Leeds City Council - Principal Educational Psychologist

As our Principal Educational Psychologist, your practice will be underpinned by core values including the belief that everybody and every situation has the potential for positive change.

This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference to learning inclusion for thousands of young people in Leeds. 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 education settings.

You will lead our educational psychology team, part of Leeds City Council’s children’s services, rated outstanding by Ofsted. Our culture of working relationally and restoratively is strongly embedded, ensuring we build strong relationships with children, young people and families and give them a clear voice in their lives and learning. 

We are committed to the goals of the Leeds Children and Young People's Plan 2023-2028 and the ambition of Child Friendly Leeds. 

The employment terms for this role are Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) for senior officers in local government.

About you
You will be a qualified Educational Psychologist with HCPC registration, and will bring to the role:

• senior experience in an educational psychology service, translating policy into delivery
• effective leadership skills and a commitment to continuous improvement
• a collaborative approach to forging productive partnerships in a multi-agency environment
• in-depth understanding of relevant regulation, policy and current issues 
• a strong focus on children and young people’s voice and engagement
• a commitment to supervision, mentoring and coaching for yourself and colleagues

About the role 
You will lead and manage Leeds Educational Psychology Team, a dynamic, creative team of psychologists with wide-ranging experience and interests. 

The team works system-wide across the city, collaborating on exciting initiatives including trauma-informed working and enhancing services for neurodivergent young people.  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.

Alongside an established group of Senior Educational Psychologists, you will drive delivery of the team plan and focus on recruitment and retention strategies to further enhance the team’s capacity. You will also be part of a SEND strategic leadership team where you will contribute from a psychological perspective on developments across the city, including linking with local and national initiatives, at a time of change and opportunity. 

We’re committed to professional development and our assistant EPs and trainee EPs are integral to the team. Our strong links with universities support doctoral training and enhance research and learning opportunities for the whole team.

What we offer you
Our employee benefits include:

• competitive salary and annual leave entitlement
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements
• clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• employee assistance programme to support your wellbeing and finances

How to apply

Follow the link to apply for further details. 

All practising Educational Psychologists in the UK must be registered with the HCPC.

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check is required to work as an Educational Psychologist in the UK.