Student Welfare and Management

Heathcote Primary School is located in an attractive rural setting on the Northern Highway approximately 100 km north of Melbourne. The area continues to grow as people seek out a `tree change¿ and settle in the lovely country in the area.  Our current enrolment is 141 students and growing!  Our bush setting includes garden areas, shaded playground equipment, a fenced basketball court, oval and passive recreation areas which support a range of playing styles at break times.  We have our own mountain bikes which can be accessed at break times by the students.

The school has an administration block, Digital Technology room, Art room and Stephanie Alexander Kitchen.  Our Library and Music classes are taught in a multipurpose room known as `The Gallery. There are six classrooms that have the capacity to open up with the room next door to  allow for teaching and learning teams to work together at various times. In 2024 we are  implementing  weekly STEM, Library and Art  specialist teaching programs across Foundation to Year 6  classes. Our school has a well resourced    Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program which operates on a weekly basis  with  students in Years 3-6. As enrolment continues to grow, this program is shared on a semester basis with the Year 4-5-6 classes. The Year 3-4 class attends weekly whilst the 4-5-6 classes have a semester each. Older students  are demonstrating increased student voice in developing menus and budgets each week.  These classes participate in an hour long garden/curriculum class and a two hour kitchen class supported by staff and parent/community volunteers.  Our F-2 students participate in the program on a termly basis. Stephanie is a much loved component of our school curriculum.

 In 2024 we continue to  incorporate Respectful Relationships  into our curriculum whilst having a focus  on Gratitude, Empathy and  Mindfulness. This work supports young people to form evidence based habits that will increase their capacity to deal with challenges, changes and stressors in the future.  Our school has   a close connection with the Heathcote Kindergarten, Jenny¿s Early Learning Centre and Heathcote Health,  welcoming  visits to our school to support strengthening our ties with our  local community. We recognise the importance of  continuing  to develop our connections with the  Heathcote community to ensure a sense of belonging and connection for all.

Our Core Purpose

The core purpose of Heathcote Primary School is to provide a caring and engaging learning environment, developing links with the wider Heathcote community, and preparing all students to become lifelong learners and respectful community members in a constantly changing world.

Our Values

The following values are central to the philosophy of our school:

Respect  -  recognising and accepting individual differences and valuing our environment

Learning  -  developing the skills, values and attitudes to become a lifelong learner

Teamwork  -  learning together to achieve the best possible outcomes for all

Responsibility  -  being accountable for our own actions, what we say and what we do

SC1      Demonstrated expert knowledge of the relevant curriculum. Demonstrated ability to lead and manage the implementation of school priorities, and the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum.

SC2      Demonstrated ability to lead the planning and implementation 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 monitor and assess student learning at a class, cohort or whole-school level and use this data to lead improvement initiatives. 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 leadership skills. Demonstrated ability to lead collaborative relationships with students, colleagues, parents and the broader school community focused on student learning, agency, wellbeing and engagement.

SC5      Demonstrated ability to model behaviours and attitudes consistent with Department values and support colleagues to adopt these behaviours and attitudes. Demonstrated ability to reflect upon their own, others and whole-school practice and contribute to the provision of whole-school professional learning.

Leading teachers will be highly skilled classroom practitioners and undertake leadership and Management roles commensurate with their salary range.  The role of leading teachers is to improve the skill, knowledge and performance of the teaching workforce in a school or group of schools and to improve the curriculum program of a school.

Typically, leading teachers are responsible for coordinating a number of staff to achieve improvements in teaching and learning which may involve the coordination and professional support of colleagues through modelling, collaborating and coaching and using processes that develop knowledge, practice and professional engagement in others.

Leading teachers are expected to lead and manage a significant area or function within the school with a high degree of independence to ensure the effective development, provision and evaluation of the school's education program.

Leading teachers will be expected to make a significant contribution to policy development relating to teaching and learning in the school. A leading teacher has a direct impact and influence on the achievement of the school goals.

Leading teachers are usually responsible for the implementation of one or more priorities contained in the school strategic plan.

The key responsibilities of the Heathcote Primary School Wellbeing & Inclusion Leader include, but are not limited to:

• Leading the whole-school implementation of positive education to improve student wellbeing outcomes
• Provide high-level educational leadership in the school community and beyond.  
• Demonstrate high-level communication skills and professional behaviour when interacting with  parents, students and colleagues.

·    Promote a culture of high expectations and aspirations for the learning of students with disability or additional needs

·    Embed inclusion and disability expertise in strategic planning and recruitment practices

·    Act as a source of advice for staff about differentiated teaching strategies appropriate for individual students with additional needs

·    Ensure the establishment of student support groups (SSGs) for all students who may benefit from a Disability Inclusion profile meeting.

·    Membership of the School Improvement Team and Wellbeing Team

·    Being a positive and visible ambassador for the school

• Demonstrating high-level expertise in teaching and learning practice and modelling exemplary practice and values in inclusive education.
• Delivering high quality, explicit technical advice and coaching support on best-practice for educators to effectively engage students in inclusive classrooms, so that they reach full participation.
• Playing a key role in implementing professional learning, including through coaching, and support to design, implement and monitor interventions delivered through a multi-tiered system of supports framework.
• Modelling effective inclusive education whole school and classroom practices and supporting teachers to seek, analyse and act on feedback on their practice.
• Providing leadership and professional learning to others to help ensure quality inclusive practices are provided to improve students¿ learning and developmental outcomes.

Co-ordinate Tier 2 and 3 Behaviour Support

The primary role of the Wellbeing and Inclusion Leading Teacher is to implement Tier 2 and 3 practices and systems to provide targeted support for students who are not successful with Tier 1 support alone. The focus is on supporting students who are at risk of developing more serious unwanted behaviour before they start. Examples of Tier 2 supports are:

• Check-in/out process to provide increased opportunity for positive reinforcement.
• Facilitating individual or group sessions to develop self-regulation and social skills
• Investigating incidents of concerning behaviour and balancing consequences with education, all within the principles of School-Wide Positive Behaviour.
• Act as a resource for teachers to build their capacity in the identification and development of educational, social and emotional supports to assist students who experience barriers to learning.
• Adopt a functional approach to behaviours of concern by helping students find more acceptable alternatives to their unwanted behaviour
• Lead meetings with families and students to co-create Behaviour Support Plans
• Collect evidence to support the creation of a disability inclusion profile for Tier 3 funding

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

We invite all potential applicants to contact the school to arrange a tour.

• 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.