Assistant Principal-Range 1

Purpose

Swan Hill Primary School provides a caring, friendly and supportive learning environment, which caters for diverse and changing needs.  Students are prepared to be lifelong learners, valued citizens and personal success is celebrated.

Values

At Swan Hill Primary School we acknowledge that all students can learn and grow given the environment is conducive to their learning needs.

Our values encompass all the guiding principles and beliefs of:

• Respect
• Belonging
• Responsibility and
• Commitment

Environmental Context

Swan Hill Primary School is located on the land of the original owners, the Wamba Wamba people.  The school is part of a residential area in the township of Swan Hill approximately 300 kilometres north of Melbourne. Currently there are 520 students enrolled at the school with 2.0 Principal class staff and 35 teaching and 24 support staff.  

In 2022, the school's overall socio-economic profile, based on the Student Family Occupation and Education index (SFOE), was high, but slightly lower than previous years. In 2022, 186 students were classified as Equity Funded students, compared to 202 the year before.

Swan Hill Primary School guarantees all students access to a broad, balanced and flexible curriculum, including skills for learning and life beyond school.  Teachers provide timely and targeted feedback to students on their work as well as fostering close links with parents and the broader school community.

The school will continue to strive toward ensuring all students are provided with equitable educational opportunities and outcomes regardless of socio-demographic background.

Service Standards

• The school fosters close links with parents and the broader school community through its commitment to open and regular communications.
• The school commits to the active sharing of its vision and goals to ensure school community engagement in the School¿s Strategic Plan.
• The school guarantees all students access to a broad, balanced and flexible curriculum, including skills for learning and life.
• The school provides a safe and stimulating learning environment to ensure all students can achieve their full potential.
• All students will receive instruction that is adapted to their individual needs.
• Parents will be engaged regularly with regard to their child¿s academic achievement and overall wellbeing.
• All teachers will provide timely and targeted feedback to students on their work.
• Students will play an active part in the development and review of the school¿s behaviour policies.
• The school will work cooperatively with neighbourhood schools to share good practice.

1. Educational Leadership

• Outstanding capacity for visionary and exemplary educational leadership of the School.
• Highly developed skills in leading and managing change including the leadership of others in the process of change.

2. Financial, managerial and administrative ability

• Outstanding financial, organisational and resource management skills.

3. Planning, policy and program development and review

• Exemplary values appropriate to the development of student learning with a demonstrated capacity to achieve high quality student outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to implement policies to a high level.
• An understanding of and a commitment to, the use of learning technologies to improve teaching and learning.

4. Leadership of staff and students

• A highly developed capacity to motivate staff, develop their talents and build effective teams
• Demonstrated ability to promote and live by the School¿s common set of values.
• 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.

5. 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

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

• 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.