Regional Educational Psychologist- Eastern Region

Regional Educational Psychologist - Eastern Region

Newcome Education is a unique schools group currently seeking a full time Regional Educational Psychologist to support our group of schools. The successful candidate will join a multidisciplinary team, working to support a relational approach to teaching and learning which influences our whole school ethos and systems, as well as everyday practice.

Our group of schools offer education placements for children and young people with very complex needs, often living in complex circumstances. Many of our learners have diagnoses of Autism and/or are considered to have a social, emotional or mental health need; and may have experienced exclusion from mainstream settings.

The group of Schools currently are:

● Gretton School, Girton, Cambridgeshire
● Quorn Hall School, Quorn, Leicestershire
● Hardwick School, Loughborough, Leicestershire
● Wilds Lodge School, Oakham, Rutland

Our Schools are committed to offering a relational approach to education, informed by specialist knowledge of Autism and SEMH. Children and Young People who attend our schools have frequently experienced disrupted relationships as a consequence of their needs not being understood or met in other settings. Our schools are committed to offering
learners reparative experiences of relationships in order to enable them to meet their full potential.

Within this overarching relational frame, we draw on evidence based approaches such as restorative practice and positive behaviour support to meet the needs of our learners and support the wellbeing of the whole school community.

Educational Psychologist

We are looking for an experienced, highly motivated and enthusiastic Educational Psychologist to support the development and delivery of our therapeutic service across specialist independent schools in the Eastern Region. A specialism in Autism and SEMH is desirable. Experience in developing and improving a psychology service would also be an advantage.

Working in collaboration with a Clinical Psychologist, you would be delivering psychological support as part of a multi-disciplinary team comprising Clinical Psychology, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Creative Therapists. You will work
predominantly at a strategic and systemic level but also therapeutically with children and young people. You’ll provide psychological assessment, intervention, consultation, guidance for education and care teams and professional development training for all staff. The role involves communicating with families/ carers and specialist agencies.

You will need to be creative and passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people with complex needs. This is a challenging role and you must be able to cope with stressful interpersonal situations whilst maintaining a high degree of professionalism.

The ideal candidate will be resilient and have experience of working with children and young people with complex SEMH needs and ASD. You will need to be a good communicator with strong skills in assessment and report writing.

Newcome Education is committed to supporting the continued professional development of all staff and offers a CPD budget to support psychologists to develop their knowledge and practice. Regular external psychological supervision will be provided by a suitably qualified Consultant Educational Psychologist. We anticipate that the Newcome Education psychology
team will grow over the coming years with potential to recruit both assistant grade and qualified psychologists. This is an exciting time to join our psychology provision in schools and shape the developing service.

Our schools are based in Leicestershire, Rutland and Cambridgeshire. Travel between sites will be required, however expenses are paid from the base school (closest school to candidate).

The role is offered full time, term time only (39 weeks plus 2 weeks out of term time, allocated for report writing etc). There may be a requirement to work additional hours, as necessitated by the needs of the business including during school holidays or at other times outside your normal hours of work, however this will be avoided where possible.

Job Description

School: Newcome Schools – Eastern Region
Salary: £50,952 - £57,349 (Dependent on experience)
Contract type: Full time, Permanent, Term Time Only (39 weeks plus 2 weeks allocated for report writing etc)
Responsible to: Operations Director

Aim of the Post

To carry out the professional duties of a Regional Educational Psychologist as circumstances may require and in accordance with the schools’ policies under the direction of the Operations Director. The Regional Educational Psychologist will work in concert with a multidisciplinary team, including a clinical psychologist, therapists and teaching practitioners. The Regional Educational Psychologist will work systemically to support a whole school
ethos based on Positive Behaviour Support and Relational Approaches. They will also work clinically with specific learners, class teams and networks to effect positive change for individual learners.

Main Duties:

● Promote the use of Educational Psychology in order to improve the learning outcomes and emotional well-being of children and young people.
● To work within the school setting to provide stakeholders with an Educational psychology service. This will include, as necessary, direct work with learners and families, advice, consultation and support to school staff in the general application of psychology.
● To advise schools, families and Local Authorities about individual children with special needs.
● To contribute to the schools’ safeguarding and critical response procedures.
● To contribute to the schools’ programs of staff development in relation to learner outcomes and school objectives.
● To keep accurate, up to date records of all contacts and work relating to children, young people, and their families in accordance with service protocols.
● Develop skills and knowledge through participation in the process of supervision, and being supervised by colleagues and line managers.
● Contribute to the induction of new staff, supervise Educational Psychologists in training and undertaking further training as part of continuing professional development.
● Advise and support colleagues in order to share expertise and knowledge. To contribute to projects and research at an individual and strategic level.
● Facilitate and contribute to school meetings, including team development meetings, family and student network meetings.
● Proactively manage time to meet deadlines within a working environment subject to change, and manage conflicting priorities on a daily basis.

School-Wide Responsibilities:

● To understand and implement the duties and responsibilities arising from the Children Act 2004 and working together in relation to child protection and safeguarding.
● To report any concerns regarding safeguarding and child protection to the Designated Person immediately.
● To attend appropriate courses and disseminate skills learnt to the rest of the staff.
● To undertake such other duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time.

This job description sets out the duties of the post at the time it was drawn up. The post holder may be required from time to time to undertake other duties within the school/service as may be reasonably expected, without changing the general character of the duties or the level of responsibility entailed.

Person Specification

This role will suit an energetic and dedicated professional with excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Flexible approach to achieving objectives and a track record of working successfully with senior management. Commitment to keeping children and young people safe by providing a safe environment for children and young people to learn in and
commitment to identify children and young people who are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm and take appropriate action with the aim of making sure they are kept safe.

Qualifications

● An Honors Degree in Psychology recognised as a Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society.
● Doctorate level training in Educational Psychology.
● Accredited training in clinical supervision.

Experience

● Experience of team and service leadership and improvement.
● Substantial supervision experience.
● Experience of assessment of systemic family processes and an understanding of organisational systems which influence families’ experience of services.
●Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of children and adolescents and their families across the full range of care settings.
● Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups and maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
● Experience working clinically with children, young people, families and groups
● Ability to prioritise referrals, assessment and manage endings effectively on an individual basis or within a multidisciplinary team.
● Experience of Risk Assessment and Management.
●Experience of hard to reach diverse community groups and individuals with emerging complex needs, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities and safeguarding.
● Experience of teaching, training and supervision.
● Experience of service improvement.
●Experience of working with children and young people using evidence based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Positive Behaviour Support and other psychological therapies.

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

Applying psychology within a wide variety of contexts and to a wide a range of complex issues including:
● Developing preventative strategies to promote adaptive behaviour and improve emotional health and wellbeing;
● Working through consultation to create psychologically informed environments;
● Working clinically with groups of children and young people;
● Intervening with individual children whose emotional, behavioural and/or learning needs may be complex;
● Coordinating, planning and delivering training opportunities;
● Research / evaluation skills;
●Capability to work assertively and flexibly as an applied psychologist in an education setting;
● Work to tight deadlines in an ever-changing environment;
● To contribute comprehensively to the successful resolution of complex cases and issues;
● Ability to fulfill the travel requirements of the post;
● The ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team;
● A willingness to contribute to the overall school community;
● An ability to work closely with parents/carers in providing an education that is suitable to the needs of children with autism;
● The ability to apply the Equal Opportunities policy in work with the children;
● Proficient use of ICT and an ability to use Data to inform service delivery
and evaluation.

Additional Requirements

● Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multimedia materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
● Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
● Ability and willingness to work in a flexible way including working outside of normal hours to facilitate out of hours clinics as required by Commissioners.
● Able to maintain professional boundaries and conduct.
● Supportive approach towards colleagues, children and families.
● Enthusiastic, self-motivated team player.
● Able to negotiate, be confident and assertive.
● Emotional stamina and ability to respond constructively in highly stressful
situations where individuals hold very different perspectives and there is a high level of distress, ambiguity and conflict.
● Competent IT skills and the ability to navigate around various systems and software packages (such as Outlook, databases, e.g. RiO MS office and internet
● Car owner/driver and possess full UK driver’s license or evidence of ability to travel to designated bases and other sites.

Newcome Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

I understand that if I am shortlisted for this role I will be required to obtain an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service Check (DBS) and complete a self disclosure for cautions and convictions.