London Borough of Merton - Educational Psychologists

About our Service
Merton is growing our Educational Psychology Service, and we have both permanent and fixed-term vacancies. We are excited to move forward with the SEND Reforms and Merton’s SEND transformation work. This includes the development of our Experts at Hand model which offers the opportunity to pilot, deliver, and evaluate early and responsive psychological support including preventative and systemic work.

The Merton Educational Psychology Service is part of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Integrated Service (SENDIS), which includes Speech and Language Therapy, Sensory Service, Occupational Therapy, and Merton SEND Support and Inclusion Service. This integration fosters innovative and collaborative work across specialisms.

Our team is friendly and collaborative, with new colleagues feeling welcomed and supported. We are well-regarded within the Local Authority, reflected in high buy-back levels from schools and other services. The Merton EP Service is a learning organisation and the senior leadership team support colleagues to achieve their professional development goals.  There is a focus on EP wellbeing and colleagues feel supported by our group supervision sessions and whole team CPD and reflective spaces.

Despite high demand for statutory work, we ensure that this is just one aspect of applying psychology with an allocation model where statutory allocation makes up no more than a third of allocated work. We have a consultation led model of service delivery within which colleagues have the freedom to apply psychology flexibly. We receive positive feedback about our creative approaches to working with children, partners, and the community. Our project and multi-agency work includes:

• Virtual School
• Early Years Inclusion Service
• Attachment and Developmental Trauma Programme
• Merton Autism Outreach Service
• Early Bird Plus
• Supervision in Schools
• ELSA
• MeLSA

Belonging and connectedness is important across SENDIS e.g., services worked together to think about how to use and promote neuro-affirmative language in our work, and we are looking for Educational Psychologists who value and can create a sense of belonging and can support others to do so. In alignment with Merton’s values, our EPs are inclusive, collaborative, and creative, led by a senior leadership team that prioritises integrity, transparency, and equity. We are committed to continuous improvement, including developing our service development priority areas which include anti-racist practices, CPD, and assessment and consultation. We’re looking for committed and reflective Educational Psychologists to join our team and community who share our commitment to child and family centred practice and who share our values of collaboration, creativity, and inclusion.

N.B. All appointments will be offered at the minimum spinal column point (SCP) for the grade of the role. The only exception to this will be when matching current salary (up to the maximum of the scale), which is subject to evidential proof.

Benefits

• Inner London Weighting and up to 3 SPA points
• HCPC fees reimbursed
• Vivup staff employee benefits platform
• Supportive staff networks
• Flexible working
• Wellbeing support including Employee Assistance Programme

Location: Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden SM4 5DX

Special conditions

Applicants must have:

A Doctorate or Master’s Qualification in Educational Psychology;

Evidence of being HCPC Registered as a Practitioner Psychologist.

Please note: this role is subject to an enhanced DBS check.