Principal-Range 4

St Albans Primary School, established in 1889, is located in the western suburbs of Melbourne. The school community is culturally diverse and socio-economically disadvantaged.  As a school community we celebrate our diversity and promote inclusion for all students. Many new arrivals and refugees are attracted to the area because of the resources available, including the Adult Migrant English School, Learning English Outpost in St Albans and the Western English Language School Campus (WELS) at St Albans Primary School. The area of St Albans has undergone a regeneration in recent years which has seen the demolition of older properties, and the building of apartments and town houses. Many of these households are multigenerational and include extended families.

The school's population according to the 2023 August census is 299 students  The  School Family Occupation Index (SFO) of 0.77 in 2019 and 0.74 in 2023. The Family Occupation Education Index (SFOE) was 0.61 in 2019 and 0.59 in 2023. The school has high numbers of Equity funded students with a total of 140 in 2023. There were 58 students on the Program for Students with Disabilities and 166 students identified with disabilities included in the 2018 Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD). A total of 84 students were marked against the EAL continuum and 44 students participated in formal EAL Programs. Over the period of the current Strategic Plan, the school population has maintained its diversity which has included refugees and new arrival families with the majority being from the Middle East, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Pacific Islands, India and Africa. Due to the high transience, St Albans Primary School operates with composite classes except at Foundation level. In 2023 there are 14 classes. Specialist teachers provide instruction in Physical Education, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Library and LOTE (Auslan).

The staffing profile for St Albans Primary school includes two Principal class officers, 23.8 EFT teachers and 15.6 EFT Educational Support (ES) staff. Educational Support staff including Multicultural Education Aides, Learning Support and Administration staff.  As reflected in the past two strategic plans there is a  strong focus on building staff capacity through targeted professional learning, coaching, modelling and mentoring. The School Improvement Team (SIT) which includes the Principal, Assistant Principal and Leading Teachers oversee the curriculum and student learning. The school has made significant improvement in student learning the present overall performance group for 2023 is stretch. Teaching Staff work in Professional Learning Teams to plan and deliver a curriculum which focuses on improved student learning. Data is analysed at a school, class and individual level and this information is used to differentiate learning and plan for targeted teaching. The explicit teaching of literacy and numeracy underpins all learning experiences. A rich curriculum is delivered through Inquiry learning.

Students at St Albans continue to enter school with a lack of formal and informal experiences, as is reflected in our Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) data. Many of these students are being identified with language and other learning difficulties which require support through programs such as the Program for Students with Disabilities and the Language Support Program. The needs of these students and other disadvantaged groups within the school have required focused welfare programs supporting both students and their families. The school has a Community Hub which is part of the Hubs Australia project. One of the major focuses for the Hub is to build the capacity of the school community to support their child's education. The school has strengthened community links including liaising with community agencies such as The Smith Family, Community Hubs Australia and CHAMS. Parent Programs, playgroups and information sessions have all contributed to building parent capacity.

Potential applicants are invited to make an appointment for a school tour. Contact the school on 9366 2832.

The relevant documents are available on the school web site.

• Strategic plan
• AIP
• Annual Report
• Minutes of the last school council meeting

Demonstrated capacity to create a shared vision, define and gain acceptance of school goals and set and communicate expectations for effective performance.

Demonstrated ability to manage the quality of teaching and create a positive culture of challenge, support and collaboration.

Demonstrated capacity to produce and implement clear, evidence-based improvement plans and policies and lead innovation and change.

Demonstrated capacity to ensure that the school's human, physical and financial resources are efficiently allocated and managed.

Demonstrated capacity to create a professional learning community that is focused on the continuous improvement of teaching and learning, supporting all staff to achieve high standards and commitment to their own learning and wellbeing.

Demonstrated capacity to develop positive relationships with students, parents/families and the local community and participate in and contribute to system-level activities.

Demonstrated capacity to continue to enable each student to reach their potential and value the rich diversity of a multi cultural community.

The role of the principal is to lead and manage the planning, delivery, evaluation and improvement of the education of all students in a community through the deployment of resources provided by the Department and the school community.

At the same time, the principal, as executive officer of the school council, must ensure that adequate and appropriate advice is provided to the council on educational and other matters, that the decisions of the council are implemented and that adequate support and resources are provided for the conduct of council meetings.

The principal is accountable for the overall management and development of the school within statewide guidelines and Government policies. A clear set of accountabilities, which distinguish their work from other members of the Teaching Service and the education community are set out in detail in the contract of employment.

The core accountabilities of all principals are to:

• ensure the delivery of a comprehensive education program to all students
• be executive officer of the school council.
• establish and manage financial systems in accordance with the Department and school council requirements.
• represent the Department in the school and the local community.
• implement decisions of the school council.
• contribute to system-wide activities, including policy and strategic planning and development.
• manage and integrate the resources available to the school.
• appropriately involve staff, students and the community in the development, implementation and review of school policies, programs and operations.
• report to the Department, school community, parents and students on the achievements of the school and of individual students as appropriate.

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.

To be eligible for appointment as a principal a person must either already be a Principal or have met the Victorian Aspiring Principal Assessment (VAPA) requirement as follows:

• For principal positions advertised between 1 August 2021 and 31 December 2021 a person will be required to have registered to undertake the VAPA before being appointed to a principal position.
• For principal positions advertised on or after from 1 January 2022 a person must have completed the VAPA and be provided with a statement of readiness before they can be appointed to a principal position.