AddressWestern Heights College during the last 5 years has established a new and vibrant culture and strategic direction. It is a government co-educational single campus secondary college located in the heart of the Hamlyn Heights, Herne Hill and the Geelong West region just a short drive from the Geelong city centre, the Geelong Ring Road and nearby rural towns. The college is located within state-of-the-art modern buildings which connect learning, to our community and reflects our leading-edge work in curriculum design and delivery for our community.
The college¿s purpose is to empower students to strive for success and excellence in their educational journey with a focus on learning growth, high expectations, holistic well-being, creativity and innovation reflected strongly in the schools 3 values community, courage and integrity. Planning has commenced for the school to complete its masterplan which will see the college state of art gymnasium constructed on-site to enable a highly specialised sports and physical activity program to grow with a completion date of early 2026. The college offers flexible indoor and outdoor learning spaces as well as an array of educational opportunities to empower students to strive for success and excellence in their educational learning journey.
The college has a strong focus on literacy and numeracy across the college. Global learning and thinking are a priority for the College with the school inclusive of cultural diversity, offering EAL and Chinese mandarin as it¿s language. The college has sister schools based in China.
Leadership, interpersonal development and student voice and agency in learning are a focus for the school with its offerings of exceptional dance, music, theatre studies, technology, STEM and art programs on offer. The college has an exciting camps and excursions program with opportunities to include local, interstate and international experiences to places like Mount Buller, Kokoda, Central Australia, China, Europe, the USA and Fiji. The College is also involved regularly in the School for Student Leadership Opportunities across all its campuses for Year 9 students.
All students belong to learning communities with developmental personal learning goals and pathways plans, supported by a mentoring program and the Resilience Project across 7-12. Years 7 and 8 students are supported in their learning communities by a teacher team focused on building key skills, knowledge and understanding. An innovative personalised program for Year 9 and 10 students includes access to VCE, the Head Start Program, School Based Apprenticeships (SBA¿s) and Vocational Education Training (VET) studies. Years 11 and 12 students choose from a wide range of studies, combining academic VCE, VM and VET, CHES programs offered. Western Heights College has an active and fully engaged College Council, establishing strong links with the local community, including partnerships with the City of Greater Geelong, Vines Road Community Hub, the Geelong Regional Library, Vines Road Senior Citizens and many local and elite sports groups co-located on site.
We continue to implement School-wide Positive Behaviours Support and are committed to continuing to utilise this evidence-based holistic framework for a positive climate and student outcomes. In 2024, the school has completed 4 training days for the Berry Street Education Model (BSIM Model). We have a strong belief that that the very best strategies for student success, live in a strengths-based classroom, based upon meeting the differentiated needs of all students.
The school will reach close to its enrolment capacity of 1200 in 2025.
Tours are welcome and interested applicants are encouraged to contact Principal Fiona Taylor via email or by calling 0488 988 ***.
SC1 Demonstrated expert knowledge of the relevant curriculum. Demonstrated ability to model exemplary teaching practice, including the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum, and implement school priorities.
SC2 Demonstrated expertise in the implementation and modelling of high impact teaching strategies that respond to student learning needs. Demonstrated ability to support teachers to evaluate the impact of learning and teaching programs on student learning growth
SC3 Demonstrated exemplary ability to model the monitoring and assessment of student learning. Demonstrated ability to support others in using data to inform teaching practice and to provide feedback on student learning growth and achievement to students and parents.
SC4 Demonstrated exemplary interpersonal and communication skills. Demonstrated ability to engage in collaborative relationships with students, colleagues, parents and the broader school community to support student learning, agency, wellbeing and engagement.
SC5 Demonstrated ability to model behaviours and attitudes consistent with Department values. Demonstrated ability to support others to reflect on their practice and facilitate school-based professional learning.
Learning Specialists will be highly skilled classroom practitioners who continue to spend the majority of their time in the classroom delivering high-quality teaching and learning and have a range of responsibilities related to their expertise, including teaching demonstration lessons, observing and providing feedback to other teachers and facilitating school-based professional learning. Learning Specialists are expected to have deep knowledge and expertise in high quality teaching and learning in delivering improved achievement, engagement and wellbeing for students. The role of the Learning Specialist will be to model excellence in teaching and learning through demonstration lessons and, mentoring and coaching teachers in improving the skill, knowledge and effectiveness of the teaching workforce.
The Learning Specialist role is aimed at building excellence in teaching and learning within the Teaching Service.
The responsibilities of the Engagement Coach include:
· Focusing on improving engagement of teachers with coaching
· Focusing on the pedagogical practices from within the WHC Learns and HITS, SWPB and Berry St Education frameworks.
· Providing professional learning to help develop pedagogical skills and knowledge based on current educational research
· Facilitating coaching sessions to support teachers
· Modelling excellence in teaching, learning and student engagement through demonstration lessons
· Observing lessons of teachers and providing effective feedback to support their professional development
· Model exemplary classroom practice including through teaching demonstration lessons.
· Play a key role in the provision of professional learning, including through developing processes and protocols for observation and feedback of teacher practice and peer collaboration.
· Model effective learning and engagement practice and support teachers to seek, analyse and act on feedback.
· Provide evidence-based feedback to teaching staff to inform their effectiveness and development.
· Mentor and/or coach teachers, which may involve observing and providing feedback to teachers on their practice.
· Model exemplary use of student data to inform teaching approaches.
· Model exemplary professional learning practice including through seeking feedback from other teachers and leaders on their own classroom practice as part of critical reflection and inquiry to improve practice.
· Coach individual and small groups of staff as required.
· Liaise with other members of the College LT to support the teacher performance and development review process.
· Other duties as determined by the Principal.
Teachers currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching and qualified to teach and/or have demonstrated experience in the curriculum area(s) specified for the position.
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
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.
