Assistant Principal - Whole School Inclusive Practices - Eltham High School - Range 2

Eltham High School is a large secondary school on the urban rural fringe of north eastern Melbourne. The school’s primary focus has always been to enhance student outcomes through the provision of high quality teaching and learning strategies.

Eltham High School is highly regarded as an educational institution. Its reputation as an outstanding academic school is well recognised within the community and education circles. The co-curricular opportunities offered to our students across a range of areas including the performing and visual arts programs and the elite sports program are outstanding. Engagement with student leadership initiatives is sustained across all areas and levels of the school.

Eltham High School has established a tradition through its strong commitment to the areas of:

• Inspiring through excellence

• Creativity

• Individuality

• Social Justice.

Eltham High School is a school with high expectations where you feel safe to be yourself and challenged to think critically, to work independently and in teams, to show leadership and to achieve success along many pathways.

We believe that the “Deeds that Count” are:

• Respect

• Integrity

• Respect for diversity

• Environmental and social responsibility. 

Further information is available at  www.elthamhs.vic.edu.au

Educational leadership

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

Financial, managerial and administrative ability

• Outstanding financial, organisational and resource management skills.

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 Department policies to a high level.
• An understanding of, and a commitment to, the use of learning technologies to improve teaching and learning.

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.

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.

Disability Inclusion Guidelines

• Demonstrated high level understanding of the DI initiative.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the three-tier model and how the needs of students change as you move from tier 1 to tier 3.

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.

The Department of Education and Training 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.

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 http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/health/protect/Pages/childsafestandards.aspx

The Department’s employees commit to upholding DET’s Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. DET’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 DET values is available at http://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/workm/Pages/Public-Sector-Values.aspx

Assistant Principal:  Whole School Inclusive Practices

It is imperative that this Job Description be read alongside the Eltham High School Educational Leadership Role Description.

At Eltham High School the role and accountabilities of the Assistant Principals are aligned against the FISO (Framework for Improving Student Outcomes), the Sergiovanni Leadership Domains and the School¿s Strategic Plan. These are summarised as several key leadership responsibilities, including:

·         The provision of quality educational programs and improved student achievement for all students.

·         A focus on developing self and others, and on building collective leadership capacity.

·         The development of effective partnerships with the broader community, other schools, key stakeholders

·         The development and effective use of resources which support the school¿s strategic intent; and

·         Compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements, and relevant policy and procedures.

Explicitly the role of each Assistant Principal has two main foci:

·         Leadership, management and responsibility for student learning and wellbeing as they progress through the school from Year 7 through to Year 12.

Leadership, management, and responsibility for one of the following portfolios:

·         Curriculum Planning and Assessment.

·         Building Practice Excellence.

·         Whole School Inclusive Practices.

·         Empowering Students and Building School Pride.

The strategic focus at Eltham High School is overall school improvement through leadership development and improved student learning outcomes for all students. As a Principal Class Officer, the Assistant Principals will work collaboratively with the Principal and other leadership staff to develop and implement the school improvement strategies.

Common responsibilities across each of the Portfolios include:

· Ensuring a consistent and coordinated approach for the implementation of Government, Department of Education (Victoria) policies, processes and initiatives and agreed school policies.

·         Leading, supporting and assisting Whole School planning and development.

· Supporting the strategic planning and work of one of the Sub-schools and designated Key Learning Areas and in so doing have a responsibility for the learning and wellbeing of a large group of students.

·         Leading one of the School Council Committees.

·         Providing reports to the appropriate School Council Committees and the School Council.

· Contributing to school accountability functions including research, the interpretation of data, the preparation of the School Strategic Plan and associated processes, the Annual Implementation Plan; Annual Reports to the School Community; other reviews and evaluation processes as necessary and/or required.

· Supporting local school/community activities, networks, organizations, and structures which focus on education and related activities of strategic importance to the school.

· Role modelling the values of the Department of Education (Victoria).

· Role modelling a commitment to professional growth and lifelong learning.

Each Assistant Principal will have a small teaching allotment of up to 8 periods (59 minutes) per 10-day timetable cycle.

Specific Responsibilities:

Whole School Inclusive Practices:

Under the direction of the Principal, the Assistant Principal (Whole School Inclusive Practices) will have responsibility for:

·         Collaborating with relevant personnel in order to guide, plan and deliver professional learning, coaching and support to all staff to build capacity and understanding of inclusion principles, Inclusive Practices and delivery, including:

o   Understanding neurodiverse learners.

o   Understanding the cultural and learning needs of our indigenous students.

o   Understanding the nuances needed in our practice to engage culturally diverse, neuro diverse, gender diverse students and meet their learning needs.

o   Effective modification strategies and reasonable adjustments.

o   Strategies for supporting students with specific learning disorders.

·         Coordinating the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on students with disabilities.

·         Leadership for the delivery of the new Disability and Inclusion (DI) Model across the school.

·         Manage the work of the Additional Needs Co-ordinator and the Additional Needs Team.

·         Collaborate with school leaders, teachers, Allied Health staff, and families to determine appropriate DI referrals.

·         Support the Additional Needs Co-ordinator to facilitate the Tier 3 application process (inc. arranging appropriate assessments and co-ordinating with any external Agencies as required, and finalising/submitting Tier 3 applications).

·         Oversee and ensure appropriate documentation is kept and secured for all DI profiles.

·         Provide support to the Additional Needs Co-ordinator to coordinate the Disability Inclusion profile meetings.

·         In collaboration with the Additional Needs Co-ordinator and the Additional Needs Team develop the learning profiles flyers for Tier 2 students and distribute to staff.

·         Support teachers to further enhance their pedagogical practices and ensure that the curriculum is accessible to students identified through DI as Tier 2 and 3 so they can successfully continue with their learning.

·         Support the work of the Learning Specialist (Equity and Inclusion) to work with staff to implement the Individual Learning Plans for Tier 3 students and the learning profile flyers for Tier 2 students.

·         Model effective and exemplary teaching and learning strategies in the classroom.

·         Lead the work of the Sub-schools in supporting the learning needs of identified Tier 2 students.

·         Manage the implementation, and review of all Tier 2 support programs, including but not limited to MYLNS, Tutor Learning Initiative, Literacy and Numeracy support.

·         Collaborate with the Student Services Leader on the management of programs/initiatives, co-curricular adjustments and out of class strategies aimed at addressing the wellbeing needs of Tier 2 and 3 students so they can better access learning.

·         Maintain connections with Regional supports including visiting teachers as well as be part of any Networks that focus on DI including Region and Central Department of Education Networks.

·         In collaboration with the Transition Team and the Additional Needs Team contribute to the transition of students already identified as requiring adjustment to their learning plans, including overseeing the efficient transfer of information from the feeder primary schools.

·         Other duties as requested by the Principal.

• 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.