Assistant Principal Level 2 - School Leadership

Location Profile

Sale & District Specialist School is a new, purpose built school with attractive secure grounds, well equipped teaching and learning spaces, state of the art facilities and a staff team committed to ensuring each student has the opportunity to succeed in all areas of their school life. The new school opened at the start of the 2018 school year, consolidating three campuses onto one site.

The school is a specialist school with teachers and ancillary staff catering for the needs of students with an intellectual disability and many additional needs. Students are aged from 4 years 8 months to 18 years. Students may be enrolled fulltime or on a dual enrolment basis with a mainstream school. Students travel from within the Wellington Shire and there is some access to transport provided by the Department of Education & Training.

Dedicated teachers provide excellent learning opportunities for all students through quality programs based on outstanding teaching and learning practices. The school follows the Victorian Curriculum making full use of ABLEs resources and the Towards Foundation Curriculum, we also offer Victorian Pathways - Foundation Certificate.

Individual Education Plans are developed in consultation with parents/ carers and allied professionals. Plans are designed and implemented to meet the needs of and challenge individual students while building on their abilities. Programs are developed in conjunction with the allied health staff are implemented by all staff across the school. Communication programs aim to further develop the functional communication, language and literacy skills of all students. Assisted, Augmentative Communication techniques and tools are utilised to give non-verbal students the opportunity to make choices, make their wants and needs known and communicate with others.

The school has an open-door policy and welcomes parents and volunteers into the classrooms and values their assistance in a variety of school based and community programs. With a committed staff, small class groupings and a network of enthusiastic volunteers we are able to offer students a wide variety of enrichment programs.

What we are looking for in our Assistant Principal:

The successful candidate for this position will be expected to:

·    Lead the implementation of a school improvement initiative, primarily within the portfolio of Teaching and Learning.

·    Work with the School Leadership team to develop a shared view of highly effective teacher practice

·    Work with leaders to oversee the implementation of the Disability Inclusion Profile leading to its implementation into the school in 2025. 

·   Work with leaders in the provision of professional learning, including through developing processes and protocols for observation and feedback of teacher practice and peer collaboration

·    Support our whole school approach to SWPBS processes while assisting with student wellbeing

·    Contribute to the overall management of the school including acting as principal when the principal is absent from the school.

Further Information

The start date for this position is posted as 29/01/2024.  

School visits during the school holidays are available by calling the principal on 0407 933 ***.

The Principal of the school has indicated that he expects to take leave at the beginning of the 2025 school year and retire at some stage during 2025.

Educational Leadership

·          Outstanding capacity for visionary and exemplary educational leadership.

·          Highly developed skills in leading and managing change including the leadership of others in the process of change iii. Comprehensive knowledge of effective teaching strategies that demonstrates an understanding of how students learn.

Financial, managerial and administrative ability

·         Outstanding financial, organisational and resource management skills.

Leadership of staff and students

·           A highly developed capacity to motivate staff, develop their talents and build an effective team.

·        A clear capacity to foster a learning environment that takes account of the individual needs of students and helps students to develop their special abilities and talents.

Planning, policy and program development and review

·           Demonstrated ability to implement Department policies to a high level, including the ability to manage issues related to master planning and innovative development of school resources to achieve high quality student outcomes across the school.

Interpersonal and communication skills

·           Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills in individual, small group and community contexts.

·           Exemplary values pertaining to personal qualities of objectivity, sensitivity and integrity.

·           An ability to work with parents and the community to develop a strong learning environment.

Community criterion

·     Demonstrated ability to input into the development, implementation and evaluation of processes and strategies relating to teaching students with disability

The Assistant Principal reports directly to the principal.

Assistant principals have a primary responsibility for the management of significant areas or functions within the school to ensure the effective development, provision and evaluation of the school's education program.  In exercising the responsibility, Assistant Principals will have the authority to make all significant decisions relating to the program, budget and staff relating to their area of designated responsibility within the framework of the school's strategic plan, policies and budget.  Assistant principals will contribute to the overall management of the school through involvement in policy formulation and decision making.

The management of significant school program or functional areas in schools involve Assistant Principals in the analysis of the needs of students and the translation of state educational policy and frameworks into appropriate education programs to meet the needs of all students.

Typically Assistant Principals will be responsible for the effective use of the teaching staff and program budget of a defined area of the school's operation and for the oversight and leadership of the educational programs provided utilising these resources.

Typically, Assistant Principals perform one or more of the following functions:

•    supervision and coordination of the work of senior curriculum or level coordinators;
•    allocation of budgets, positions of responsibility and other resources within the area of responsibility;
•    supervision of the delivery of teaching programs;
•    management of programs to improve the knowledge and experience of staff;
•    responsibility for general discipline matters beyond the management of classroom teachers and year level coordinators;
•    contribute to the overall management of the school;

Appropriately qualified individuals currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching.

Applicants seeking part-time employment are encouraged to apply for any teaching service position and, if they are the successful candidate, request a reduced time fraction. Such requests will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to the operational requirements of the school.

The Department of Education is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, and diversity and inclusion for all. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for roles within the Department. The Department recognises that the provision of family friendly, supportive, safe and harassment free workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work, diversity and safety across all schools and Department workplaces. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for persons with a disability (see Workplace adjustment guidelines).

Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via *******@education.vic.gov.au

Victorian government schools are child safe environments. Our schools actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all students, and all school staff are committed to protecting students from abuse or harm in the school environment, in accordance with their legal obligations including child safe standards. All schools have a Child Safety Code of Conduct consistent with the department's exemplar available at:

 https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/child-safe-standards/policy

The department's employees commit to upholding the department's Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. The department's Values complement each school's own values and underpin the behaviours the community expects of Victorian public sector employees, including those who work in Victorian Government Schools. Information on the department values is available at:

 https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/values-department-vps-school-employees/overview

School visits are available by calling the principal on 0407 933 ***.

Please ensure that your application includes:

·                     a resume including relevant experience as well as personal details (name, address and contact numbers, business and home)

·                     a section addressing the selection criteria and the requirements for application under the Who May Apply section

·                     names and contact numbers (telephone and email if possible) of two referees

Please note that the selection panel may seek additional referees beyond those you name. Consistent with policy, we shall advise you if we will take this action.

• All staff employed by the Department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
• Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
• A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided.
• Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the Department's Human Resources website at http://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/Pages/default.aspx

To be eligible for employment, transfer or promotion in the principal or teacher class a person must have provisional or full registration from the Victorian Institute of Teaching. In addition, from 3 August 2020, to be eligible for employment in the principal class or teacher class, a person who graduated from a Victorian Initial Teacher Education program after 1 July 2016, must demonstrate that they have passed the literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education (LANTITE) requirements. This condition is satisfied where the LANTITE requirement is part of the Victorian Initial Teacher Education program completed by the person.