Job Summary
Cognus Educational Psychology Service is looking to recruit an Educational Psychology Assistant (EPA) to join the team. The Assistant will be based in The Limes 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 EP service 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, Trainee Educational Psychologists, and 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
1. To apply psychology for the benefit of children, young people, and their families.
2. To work as part of the Educational Psychology Service out of The Limes College.
3. To work under the guidance of qualified Educational Psychologists to assist in providing intervention, training, and other agreed support.
4. This role is a fixed-term contract until July 2026 with the potential to be extended.
About Us
Cognus Limited is a Local Authority Traded Company, 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:
1. Salary of £29,599.24, pro rata from £35,156.34 (Term-Time Only contract from February 2025 to July 2026)
2. Workplace pension scheme 4% to 8% matched contributions
3. 28 days annual leave pro rata (plus Bank Holidays)
4. Regular manager support and supervision.
5. Hybrid and Flexible working
6. Staff benefits package, including Employee Assistance Programme, Perkbox, and (upon completion of probation) Sovereign Healthcare Cashback plans
7. Staff EDI group and Mental Health First Aiders to support wellbeing and inclusion
8. Cognus Coaching Programmes
9. 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 deemed appropriate to their capability, under such level of supervision as may be necessary by their supervisors:
1. To support school-based interventions for children and young people attending Carshalton Boys Sports College.
2. To implement programmes of intervention to overcome barriers to learning/inclusion and to promote the social and emotional well-being of pupils.
3. To undertake, and assist others in undertaking, the assessment of pupils to clarify their learning, social, and emotional needs.
4. To provide, where appropriate, direct support to pupils and their parents/carers through training or therapeutic interventions with individuals or groups.
5. To work as part of the Taskforce team, a multi-agency team created to support and meet the needs of the most vulnerable students and families.
6. To assist Educational Psychologists in the delivery of training and professional development for school staff, and training for parents/carers.
7. 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.
8. To maintain accurate and detailed records of work undertaken, in accordance with Service and Authority policies, and provide written reports where required.
9. To apply a range of different psychological tools and methods with pupils.
10. To work alongside Educational Psychologists to develop the skills to work at a systemic level.
11. To undertake appropriate Continuing Professional Development and develop knowledge of current theories and working practices within Educational Psychology.
12. To maintain accurate and timely records on systems such as Case Management, Synergy as required.
13. To keep appropriate written documentation using the framework set up by Cognus EPS and maintain confidentiality.
COMPETENCIES:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Ability to organise and prioritise workloads, and manage time effectively.
5. Experience working in partnership with multi-disciplinary teams and the ability to work under pressure.
6. Confident working autonomously and building strong therapeutic relationships with children/young people and families.
7. An understanding of special educational needs and the education system.
8. An understanding of restorative and trauma-informed practice.
9. Competence in the use of information communication technology equipment to undertake a range of administrative tasks.
10. Ability to reflect and develop practice within a supervision framework.
11. Competence following safeguarding practices and a thorough knowledge of safeguarding thresholds and how to respond to disclosures.
12. Ability to develop interventions to support emotionally based school avoidance to aid a return to school.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
* Experience of having applied psychology-based knowledge and skills to work with children and young people and professionals in educational and/or community settings.
* Experience of delivering training.
* Experience of delivering group activities with primary and/or secondary aged children and young people.
* Knowledge of current educational policy and practice.
* Experience of working to support a diverse and multicultural community with a broad range of needs.
* Experience working in partnership with multi-disciplinary teams and the ability to work under pressure.
* An awareness of issues related to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
* Knowledge and awareness of safeguarding issues.
* Experience of working in a multi-agency team.
* Candidates must be able to demonstrate the ability to:
* Value strong partnership working with parents, carers, schools, and children and young people and other agencies, ensuring a multi-agency approach.
* Strong organisational skills and superb with deadlines.
* Strong oral and written communication skills.
* Ability to remain objective and act confidentially.
* Professional, courteous, and strong customer service skills.
* Work as part of a team, sharing working knowledge and skills.
* Work flexibly, able to re-arrange work in relation to changing priorities and to meet the needs of the business.
* Able to support the safe delivery of activities.
* Work confidently and autonomously in building strong therapeutic relationships with children/young people and families.
* A thorough understanding of restorative and trauma-informed practice.
* 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.
* 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
Essential
* 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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
Employer Details
Employer Name
Cognus Limited
Address
Cognus Ltd
Railway Approach
Wallington
Surrey
SM6 0DZ
Employer's Website #J-18808-Ljbffr