AddressLocation Profile:
Yarrabah School is a newly built school located in the beautiful bayside suburb of Aspendale only 500 meters from the sandy beaches of Aspendale and Mordialloc. Yarrabah School caters for students aged between 2.8 and 18 years who have a diagnosed intellectual disability ranging from moderate to profound. Yarrabah School is a single campus Pre K
- 12 school organised around four distinct stages of learning including
Early Years (2.8
- 6), Primary Years (Ages 7
- 12), Lower Secondary Years (Ages 13
- 15) and Upper Secondary (16
- 18).
Stages of Learning:
Our Early Years students are accommodated in two distinct areas. The Early Education Program (2.8 - 4.8) provides outstanding early education provision in new learning facilities that are individually resourced and staffed by experienced educators and therapists catering for the needs of 60 young children and their families.
The Early Years and Primary students (K-6) are provided new learning areas with designated playgrounds, courtyards, well-equipped classrooms and common learning areas. There are three distinct sections, Lower Junior (K-6), Upper Junior (7-8) and Primary (9-12) for up to 80 students.
Our Secondary School students learn in their very own zone, located in three designated learning facilities for up to 100 students. These include a new purpose-built Lower Secondary building for students that includes its own playgrounds, common rooms and therapy areas, a new purpose-designed and built ‘life house’ for upper secondary students and well-resourced and staffed portable facilities.
The students and staff enjoy first-class facilities which include: 10 meter warm water pool, perceptual motor room, cafe, canteen, art room, music room, science room, school hall with modified basketball court, manual activities room, fitness centre, out of school care building, staff room and staff collaborative spaces, meeting rooms, library, staff resource room, therapy rooms, sensory spaces, nurture room, community hub space, administration area, purpose-built early education building, well resourced outdoor areas, fitness oval, horticulture zones, and well-maintained grounds and outdoor areas next to the Mordialloc bike track, cricket oval and soon to be built Kingston aquatic facility.
Purpose:
Yarrabah's purpose is to provide an individualised and safe student-centred learning environment that promotes active learning and encourages adventure, independence and self-esteem maximising student potential. The school provides all students access to the curriculum and therapeutic support in preparation for life after school as valued members of the community.
Values and Philosophy:
Yarrabah School is built on the values of Tolerance, Respect, Integrity, Care and Support. Our philosophical approach to education at Yarrabah is REAL (strong Relationships, Explicit Instruction, Understanding Ability, Learning for Life). The innovative and individualised nature of program delivery ensures each child is at the centre of the learning process. With an explicit and personalised approach to curriculum delivery, students at Yarrabah enjoy coming to school.
Exciting and Relevant Curriculum:
The school supports students in aged-based learning groups within key learning areas from primary years to secondary years. In some areas (Secondary Sections) the school provides exciting electives for students to choose from. Yarrabah has a strategy for effective classroom curriculum delivery.
'REAL' learning emphasises step-by-step teaching of skills in each subject area – but especially in the core areas of English, Mathematics, Communication, and Social and Personal Capabilities (life and relationship skills).
Yarrabah School provides an inclusive and rigorous curriculum. Teachers plan and deliver a differentiated and scaffolded curriculum according to the school's yearly curriculum map. The school ensures homeroom teachers can remain focussed on the core curriculum for students of all abilities.
Subject specialists deliver engaging and exciting curricula across the primary and secondary years within science, critical and creative thinking, the visual arts, the performing arts, horticulture, health and physical education.
Support Services:
Yarrabah is renowned for its mental health and well-being services. The school's new strategic plan (2022-2026) identifies the importance of providing a systematic and integrated service team (IST) approach that supports students throughout their entire school experience. A new IST approach provides each student and their family the support they need, when they need it and the services to enable all students to access the curriculum in a safe and supported way.
Our IST approach provides universal and tiered support in a structured and data-informed manner that ensures we maintain a focus on mental health and wellbeing.
The Integrated Support Service Model connects Yarrabah School services. Each service includes expert staff with dedicated release time who are trained to provide planning, student support or modelling, assessment and professional learning using a referral model and following the four stages of the improvement cycle. Services include:
- Mental Health and Wellbeing (Mental Health Practitioner / Student Wellbeing Coordinator, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker/Psychologist)
- Physical Health (PE Coordinator, School Nurse, Physiotherapist)
- Therapy (Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists)
- Positive Engagement (Learning Specialist, Intensive Interaction Coordinator, Occupational Therapist)
- Curriculum Capabilities (Capabilities Coordinator, Respectful Relationships Leader, Capabilities Specialist Teacher, Speech Therapist)
The connection and integration of services are facilitated by an Integrated Services Team (IST) of which each service has a member including the Principal and Assistant Principal.
Yarrabah remains a lead school in Respectful Relationships (RR). Visitors regularly comment on Yarrabah being a calm and orderly learning environment. RR is embedded during learning times for maintaining respectful relationships and reinforcing school-wide expectations based on school data and evidence.
The school has developed a consistent set of whole school lessons and visual supports in 'Social Safety' and the introduction of Social Skills and Social Thinking through the use of 'Talking Mats' and the Tutor learning initiative.
Communication Focus:
Yarrabah has worked to develop a ‘communication accessible school' which values each child's right to communicate. We are well on the way to achieving this goal with every student having access to communication in each environment and all students regularly assessed to determine communication needs. Every staff member wears a lanyard to support student communication in or out of the school.
Applicants are asked to address the following criteria in a maximum of six pages.
KSC 1: Teaching & Learning
Provide evidence of an ability to plan and deliver an appropriate program to students with intellectual disabilities.
KSC2: Teaching Practice
Demonstrate an ability to actively engage students who have special needs, including sensory needs, in meaningful learning.
Evidence of successfully managing students with challenging and difficult behaviours using a Positive Behaviour Support framework.
KSC3: Assessment and reporting of student learning.
Ability to assess and report student progress. To provide reports to parents which keep them regularly informed of their children’s progress.
KSC4: Interaction with the school community
Demonstrate high level communication and interpersonal skills when relating to students, parents and staff.
KSC5: Teamwork
Demonstrate an ability to work as a team member within a dynamic educational environment.
KSC6: Professional requirements
Demonstrate a commitment to ongoing professional growth, both on a personal level and school level.
Abide by the teachers Professional Code of Conduct (VIT) (www.vit.vic.edu.au) and maintain VIT registration.
* Perform according to the professional duties and standards set out in the Performance and Development Guidelines and the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PoLT)
* Conducting initial SSGs to establish ILPs (Individual Education Plans) followed by written reports, SSGs as requested by parents, followed by a final report and meeting with parents in Term 4.
* Direct teaching to the ability level of individual students in the group and according to their ILPs.
* Plan, prepare and deliver appropriate programs according to student goals, abilities and curriculum focus
* Maintain a work program according to the requirements set out in the Staff Handbook
* As a team leader direct the classroom assistant to tasks and learning activities required. To keep the classroom assistant up to date with student needs and plans for daily activities.
* Provide adequate and appropriate resources for student learning via Professional Learning Community (PLC) or curriculum coordinators.
* Maintain a safe working environment
* Develop and implement Student Wellbeing plans for students who require them
* Participate in meetings e.g. staff meetings, PLC/planning meetings camps and excursions.
* Are responsible for the health and wellbeing of all students in their care at all times
* Fulfill extra roles and duties as nominated
* Maintain regular contact with parents/carers via daily communication books, phone calls or personal contact.
* Work with and consult with the therapy team to achieve maximum outcomes for students in the classroom
* Yard Duty
* Other duties as requested by Leadership team.
The role of Classroom Teacher may include but is not limited to:
- Direct teaching of groups of students and individual students;
- Contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of a curriculum area or other curriculum program within the school;
- Undertaking other classroom teaching related and organisational duties as determined by the School Principal;
- Participating in activities such as parent/teacher meetings; staff meetings; camps and excursions;
- Undertaking other non-teaching supervisory duties.
Teachers who do not have an approved Special Education qualification but do have current provisional or full registration from the Victorian Institute of Teaching may apply. Preference will be given to applicants who have an approved Special Education qualification. Graduate Teachers are welcome to apply.
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
- 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
- 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.
