Educational Psychologist - Main Grade


Company:	Essex County Council
Salary:	£43,483 to £63,394 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	City of Chelmsford, CM1 1QH
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	17 Sept 2026
Closing date:	8 Oct 2026

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Summary

Educational Psychologist - Main Grade

Permanent, Full Time and Part Time

Soulbury Psychologists Scale A from 3 to 8 plus SPA opportunity

Location:

Essex

Working Style:

Anywhere worker

Closing Date:13th October 2026

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.

Essex County Council is seeking passionate and dedicated Main Grade Educational Psychologists to join our quadrant-led teams. We are committed to applying psychology to make a positive impact on the lives of children and young people. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals, including Trainee Educational Psychologists in their second or third year of training.

What We Offer

A supportive and collaborative working environment

Opportunities for professional development and growth

The chance to make a difference in the Essex schools and settings we support

Salary based on the Soulbury Pay A Scale (+ SPA) with your entry level to the role determining salary

If you are passionate about applying psychology to support the educational and emotional well-being of children and young people, we would love to hear from you. We welcome applications from candidates looking part-time hours.

Essex Educational Psychology

Our Educational Psychologists (EPs) are a friendly, dynamic, progressive, research-informed and solution-oriented team, committed to applying psychology to improve lives and create positive change. Our EPs are reflective and committed to continuous professional and practice development. As an Essex Educational Psychologist, you will benefit from our supportive, collegiate environment and enjoy working collaboratively with multi-agency partners and professional colleagues to deliver innovative approaches to meeting the needs of rapidly growing and diverse school communities across our county. The model of service delivery in Essex reflects our commitment to early-intervention, consultation, training, inclusion, social justice and building strong relationships with our schools/settings and communities.

To learn more about our Educational Psychologists and the work they do for the children and young people in Essex please visit:

Working for Essex - Educational Psychology

The Opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity to join a large, progressive and committed team of practitioner psychologists. As an Essex EP you will be supported via a comprehensive induction process and an exemplary programme of ongoing clinical supervision. You will also benefit from an excellent continuing professional development programme which includes joint CPD days and some opportunities for personal CPD days (pro-rata) each year. This includes a Projects and Research conference with presentations from innovative national and regional speakers as well as updates on research projects from within the service.

Essex has excellent links with doctoral training programmes, and several of our Essex EPs are also academic and professional tutors. As a main grade EP, you will have the chance to develop your practice with support and guidance from our team of senior specialist colleagues, who are passionate about sharing their knowledge, applying evidence-based approaches, and developing psychologically based interventions. Ongoing projects also include VIG, and ELSA. Our Educational Psychologists also provide support and guidance to schools and settings following a Critical Incident. In addition, there are opportunities to develop your own special interests by working alongside Essex's SEND Strategic Leads relating to specific areas of SEND.

In joining our dynamic team of Educational Psychologists at Essex County Council you will be based in one of our four quadrants:

North: Colchester and surrounding areas

Mid: Chelmsford and surrounding areas

West: Harlow and surrounding areas

South: Basildon and surrounding areas

We are looking for candidates who

Hold a Doctorate in Professional Educational Psychology - Essential

Are registered with the HCPC as a practitioner psychologist or will be eligible for registration with the HCPC at the end of their training.

Are eligible for Graduate membership with the British Psychological Society (GMBPsS).

Have a good understanding of relevant legislation and evidence-based approaches and interventions

Are committed to applying psychology to make a difference to the lives of children and young people in Essex.

Benefits

Essex County Council will support you with a competitive benefits package that is underpinned by our ambitious People Plan. Within this plan we set out our commitment to provide an exceptional work/life balance for every Essex County Council employee, including lifestyle-friendly working patterns and generous annual leave.

You will also have access to

A welcome payment of up to £5,000 plus a possible relocation package of up to £8,000 (terms and conditions for both payments apply).

Money-off high street purchases via the Essex Extras Reward Scheme.

Flexible benefits such as the option to purchase additional holiday, plus a lease car scheme.

Paid HCPC registration.

If you are interested in finding out more about Educational Psychology in Essex, please contact Stephen Whitfield - PEP: SEND Strategy Lead Psychology -

Stephen.Whitfield@essex.gov.uk

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

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