Job summary
Educational Psychologist

Join Oxfordshire County Council's Educational Psychology Service and help shape the future of support for children and young people across Oxfordshire.

As an Educational Psychologist, you will work collaboratively with children, young people, families, schools and professional partners to apply psychological knowledge and evidence-based practice that improves outcomes and promotes inclusion. You will manage a cluster of schools, developing strong relationships with SENDCOs and education professionals, while providing consultation, assessment and support for children and young people with a wide range of needs.

Alongside supporting schools through traded work, you will contribute to Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments (EHCNAs) and have opportunities to become involved in service-wide initiatives such as Emotional Literacy Support Assistant programmes, emotionally based school avoidance work, nurture group development, critical incident response, staff supervision and training.

The service offers excellent peer support, dedicated administrative assistance, flexible working arrangements and extensive professional development opportunities. Newly qualified Educational Psychologists benefit from a structured induction and reduced caseload, while experienced practitioners are encouraged to develop specialist interests and contribute to service innovation.

We welcome applications from qualified Educational Psychologists, HCPC-registered practitioners and Trainee Educational Psychologists seeking a September 2027 or September 2028 start date.

Main duties of the job
As an Educational Psychologist, you will apply psychological knowledge and evidence-based practice to support children and young people, schools and families across Oxfordshire. Through consultation, assessment, training and collaborative problem-solving, you will help improve educational outcomes, promote inclusion and support positive wellbeing for children and young people.

About us
Oxfordshire County Council Educational Psychology Service (EPS) is part of a collaborative partnership between Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, working to improve outcomes for children and young people through the Experts at Hand programme. By bringing together education, health and care professionals, the service provides early intervention, strengthens inclusion and helps ensure children and young people with SEND receive the right support at the right time.

The Educational Psychology Service is made up of Educational Psychologists, Trainee Educational Psychologists, Assistant Educational Psychologists and dedicated support staff who work alongside schools, families and partner agencies across Oxfordshire. Through consultation, assessment, training and intervention, the service helps children and young people overcome barriers to learning, wellbeing and participation while supporting schools to develop inclusive and effective practice.

Job responsibilities
Job details

Soulbury A Salary (£53,233-£63,943 per annum) plus up to 3 SPA points.

• It is anticipated that newly qualified EPs would start at point 5
• Successful candidates may be eligible to claim up to £8000 in relocation expenses

Work location: The Vibe, Didcot; Samuelson House, Banbury; or Union St, Oxford Hours per week: 37 we are open to discussions about flexible working. Part-time hours are also available (minimum 0.6 fte).

Contract type: Permanent Early application is advised as applications will be reviewed when received.

Vetting requirements: This role is subject to a Criminal Records Check.

About us
Together, we're inspiring young minds.

Join us as we transform the lives of children and young families in Oxfordshire.

Join us on an exciting journey towards Delivering the Future Together, our ambitious transformation programme which is enabling us to be an employer, partner, and place shaper of choice. We're seeking the right people who can help us get there while embracing our value of daring to do it differently, as we continue to strive to do better.

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Oxfordshire County Council are transforming support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). We are building a team of health and education professionals (Experts at Hand) to provide earlier intervention and stronger inclusion in schools settings, providing practical support where it is needed, and helping children and young people receive the right support, at the right time. By sharing your expertise and working collaboratively with colleagues across organisations, you'll play a key role in improving outcomes for children, families, and schools across Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire Educational Psychology Service consists of an expert team of Educational Psychologists, Trainee Educational Psychologists, Assistant Educational Psychologists and dedicated administrative support staff. Together, we apply our psychological skills and knowledge to ensure the best possible outcomes and opportunities for children and young people.

There are opportunities to provide training and support in a range of areas, including developing the LA response to EBSA, Emotional Literacy Support Assistant training and supervision, Staff Supervision, Oxfordshire Relational Schools Programme, Nurture Group Training, Postvention training and Critical Incident Support and a range of Universal Support multi-agency designed webinars.

We benefit from close links with doctoral training courses and value the contribution of Trainee Educational Psychologists to our service each year. We are now in a position to expand the service to deliver on the SEND reform agenda. There are three area teams based in Banbury, Didcot, and Oxford.

About the role
We work collaboratively with young people themselves, their parent/carers, educational setting staff and other professionals working closely with children and young people. Key duties include managing traded time within a cluster of allocated schools by developing relationships with SENCOs and school professionals as well as supporting the LA with EHCNAs.

We're a team of reflective practitioners who value professional development and strong peer support to ensure that we consistently develop and maintain skills and knowledge. As a member of the team, you will be well supported through an initial induction period and then regular line management and supervision thereafter, with opportunities to develop areas of interest and collaborative working with colleagues.

About you
We are looking for someone who is:

• a professionally qualified Educational Psychologist with HCPC registration.
• We welcome applications from Trainee Educational Psychologists looking for a September 2027 or September 2028 start date.
• committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults.
• has excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• seeks opportunities for personal development.
• works within a consultative/joint problem-solving framework.
• actively challenges all forms of discrimination and promotes equal opportunities, inclusion and diversity.
• enthusiastic, creative and determined to make a positive impact on children's lives through the application of psychology.
• empathic with excellent written communication skills and a competent use of information technology.
• good with diary management and has well developed organisational skills.
• a supportive team member who contributes to the service development.

Rewards and benefits

• Professional registration (HCPC) fees reimbursed
• Oxfordshire will recognise the final two years of your three-year training doctorate as local government continuous service, in addition to any continuous service accrued with a relevant employer prior to the course
• Opportunities to apply psychology creatively in different contexts
• Stimulating Continuing Professional Development opportunities
• Comprehensive induction process with a reduced caseload for newly qualified EPs
• Excellent peer support
• Flexible agile working. Each EP is provided with a wireless enabled laptop and phone as well as excellent on-demand IT support
• Dedicated administrative support
• Relocation allowance of up to £8,000 (eligibility conditions apply)
• Annual leave starting at 30 (fte) days per year, rising to 33 days per year to recognise Local Government continuous service (plus bank holidays).
• Additional opportunities to pick up sessional work for additional pay once first year following qualification is completed
• Membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, employers contribution of up to 19.9%
• Employee Assistance Programme including access to health and wellbeing support, 24 x7.
• Range of family friendly policies
• Childcare vouchers, cycle to work scheme, electric car scheme, range of staff discounts including travel, holidays, insurance, food, health & leisure activities
• Excellent learning and development opportunities

It really is true that every single job role here contributes to bettering the lives of the people in our county - we want to do this for our employees too. We are proud of our strong flexible working culture, including the opportunity for flexibility on working hours and the use of technology to support agile working. We offer some of the very best learning and development opportunities to support your ongoing development.

Your office base may be subject to change as we are currently transitioning between temporary and permanent office locations due to the closure of County Hall. If this is applicable to you, you will be notified, but no reimbursement will apply in respect of travel.

Our commitment to: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education and safe spaces for all.

Our commitment to: Guaranteed Interview Schemes
As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

Our commitment to: Safeguarding
Oxfordshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

Our commitment to: Flexible Working
We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, full time and part time working, job sharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.

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If you encounter any issues with the application system, please contact: educationalpsychologycentral@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Person Specification
General Requirements
Essential

• Please refer to job description above

Desirable

• Please refer to job description above

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name
Oxfordshire County Council

Address
Oxfordshire
OX4 1JP
United Kingdom

Employer's website
https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Recruiter
Harry Bradbury
VP38DB6D49.1286@vacancyposter.com
01865816000

Details
Date posted
18 September 2026

Pay scheme
Other

Salary
£52,233 to £63,843 a year

Contract
Permanent

Working pattern
Full-time

Reference number
VP38DB6D49

Job locations
Oxfordshire
OX4 1JP
United Kingdom

Privacy notice
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