Wolverhampton City Council - Educational Psychologist

Join a highly regarded, innovative and supportive Educational Psychology Service

Due to ongoing investment in our service, we are delighted to be recruiting two additional Educational Psychologists to join our talented, supportive and ambitious team.

There has never been a more exciting time to join our service. As Wolverhampton implements SEND Reform and develops the Experts at Hand offer, Educational Psychologists are increasingly recognised as key drivers of inclusion, early intervention and system change. We are investing in the unique contribution of psychology, creating opportunities for EPs to influence practice and policy at every level while working collaboratively with school leaders, families and partner agencies to improve outcomes for children and young people.

This is a great opportunity to join a stable service and forward thinking Council, where psychology is genuinely valued and where Educational Psychologists are empowered to make a meaningful difference at individual, group, organisational and strategic levels. We are proud of our strong reputation across the city and the positive relationships we have developed with children, young people, families, schools and partner agencies.

Our EPs enjoy a rich and varied role with opportunities to apply psychology creatively to promote inclusion, belonging and positive outcomes for all children and young people. Alongside a substantial and highly valued traded offer to schools, Educational Psychologists lead and contribute to a wide range of innovative projects and developments across the local area including:

• ATTUNE, our trauma informed whole school development project
• Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) programme
• Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) pathway
• SCERTs as a framework to support the graduated approach 
• Selective Mutism pathway
• Harmful Sexual Behaviour support offer
• A psychologically informed workforce development offer to education settings

We also deliver support to Wolverhampton’s:

• multi-agency autism pathway
• Power 2 service
• Youth Justice Service
• Virtual School

We are committed to ensuring that EPs have the time and capacity to use their skills in impactful and creative ways. Our realistic time-allocation model ensures work is distributed fairly and transparently, supporting manageable workloads and a healthy work-life balance. Typically, over 50% of an EP's time is allocated to traded work, creating genuine opportunities to engage in project, research and service development activity, including leading work in areas that align with your interests and expertise.

Our Values

We are a values-led service and our work is guided by a shared commitment to being:

• Child-centred
• Inclusive
• Collaborative
• Solution-focused
• Empowering
• Anti-oppressive and committed to equality

If these values resonate with you, we would love to hear from you.

What We Offer

We believe that EPs thrive when they feel supported, connected and professionally challenged. We therefore offer:

• A comprehensive induction programme
• Regular high-quality professional supervision
• Excellent peer support within a friendly and experienced team
• A structured and high-quality CPD programme
• Opportunities to engage in and lead innovative project work and research
• A personal dynamic assessment toolkit
• Excellent ICT provision and dedicated office space
• Dedicated administrative support
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements
• A leadership team that actively promotes wellbeing and professional autonomy

What Our Team Says
"We are involved in a range of exciting projects and initiatives that make a real difference to children and young people."

"We have the opportunity to be creative, reflective and eclectic practitioners."

"There is a genuinely supportive culture and a nurturing leadership team."

"Psychology is valued here. It is a forward-thinking council that listens to and invests in its Educational Psychology Service."

A Message from Senior Leaders
"Our Educational Psychology Service is one of our greatest strengths. Educational Psychologists play a pivotal role in shaping inclusion and SEND across the city, and their expertise is highly valued by schools, families, partners and senior leaders alike. We are committed to investing in the service and creating opportunities for EPs to influence practice and outcomes at every level of the system."

Who Can Apply?
We welcome applications from:

• Qualified Educational Psychologists, looking for permanent, temporary, full time or part time roles
• Trainee Educational Psychologists who will be entering Year 3 in September 2026

We particularly encourage applications from Educational Psychologists from minority ethnic backgrounds and from groups currently underrepresented within the profession.

Applicants must be:

• Registered with the HCPC (or currently completing Year 2 or Year 3 of the Doctorate in Educational Psychology)
• Eligible to work in the UK
• Able to satisfy an enhanced DBS check

You can find more information on our service website Educational Psychology Wolverhampton and we welcome contact for an informal discussion.

Emma Thornbery, Principal Educational Psychologist:

Emma.Thornbery@wolverhampton.gov.uk
InclusionSupportAdmin@wolverhampton.gov.uk