Work Type: Ongoing - Part-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Assistant Principal - Range 1
Occupation: Principal and assistant principal
Location: Melbourne - Western suburbs
Reference: 1498777
Footscray Primary School is located in Melbourne¿s inner west and has a current enrolment of 340 students. We have over 25 languages spoken in the homes of our school community, and we value and celebrate the many benefits of language learning. As a Designated Bilingual School, we teach and learn 50% of the Victorian Curriculum through Italian language. Our Italian bilingual approach commenced in 2021 and has expanded with each new Foundation cohort. In 2025, all students from Foundation to Year 5 will learn bilingually with 2026 being our first year of whole school bilingual education.
Footscray Primary School has a strong culture of professional learning with teaching teams collaborating to design rich, connected learning sequences. Teachers work in language pairs, sharing two classes that move between the Italian and English classrooms throughout the day. We strive to place learning in authentic contexts and support our young people to inquire, hypothesise, reflect, and take meaningful action.
Our community aims to ensure that every school experience is positive and respectful, and we are guided by Respectful Relationships and School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS). We celebrate diversity and believe a sense of belonging and inclusion are fundamental to children¿s learning and ability to fully participate in life at school and beyond. We believe that all children have the right to learn and feel safe and we pride ourselves on our inclusive practices.
Our community values are showcased through initiatives such as the All Aboard project, which aims to ensure every student can attend excursions, participate in all school activities and wear appropriate uniform regardless of their financial background, and our strong focus on student wellbeing, which builds empathy and emotional intelligence. We value our parents as partners and come together as a community often through events organised by the FPS social club. We have an active public Facebook page where we showcase achievements and connect informally as a school community.
Footscray Primary School is a proud member of the Footscray Learning Precinct. The precinct is championing excellence in learning and teaching at all stages of education, building upon the richness and diversity of the community and provides opportunities for learning in new ways. We enjoy a strong collaborative partnership with Footscray High, Footscray City PS, and Victoria University to ensure we are continually working towards improved outcomes for our learners.
What will this role look like?
We are expanding our leadership team to provide greater support to our lovely teachers and students. We have an existing full time Assistant Principal who we adore and we are looking for a partner to collaborate and share the load. The role is predominantly focussed on leading teaching and learning; however, all our leaders support with behaviour management, home-school communication, operations, and the strange and wonderful things that arise across a school day.
In 2026, Foundation - Year 2 will have 9 classes, with a Learning Specialist and Assistant Principal, and Year 3-6 will have 6 classes with a Learning Specialist and an Assistant Principal. Along with the Principal, Assistant Principal, and 2 Learning Specialists, our leadership team also comprises a Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader, Inclusion and Wellbeing Leader, and Bilingual Leader. We are a close team and we value trust, reliability, kindness, laughter, and a commitment to continual improvement.
A major component of our new School Strategic Plan is to create a coaching culture across the school. Experience with the GROWTH coaching framework would be favourable but not required as further professional learning opportunities will be provided to the successful applicant.
We are a funded Italian bilingual school. There is not a requirement to speak Italian, however, the successful applicant should have a genuine appreciation for language learning as it is a consideration in every decision we make at FPS and a core part of our school identity. Whilst you will most certainly see explicit teaching in every classroom, every day, we also value a sense of inquiry and transdisciplinary learning. We love quality texts, writing for purpose, rich and challenging tasks, learning beyond the classroom, connecting with community, authentic learning opportunities, and taking meaningful action.
Applicants are encouraged to check out our socials and website (SSP and AIP available on website) and are most welcome to email Jen (Principal) and Kathy (Assistant Principal) to arrange a tour of our beautiful school - [email protected] and [email protected].
Key Selection Criteria
SC1: Educational leadership
SC2: Financial, managerial and administrative ability
SC3: Planning, policy and program development and review
SC4: Leadership of staff and students
SC5: Interpersonal and communication skills
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:
Appropriately qualified individuals currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching.
The department is committed to diversity and inclusion and developing a workforce that is representative of the community we service. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQA+, 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 safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work and diversity across all schools and Department workplaces. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for staff with disability (see Workplace adjustment guidelines).
Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander candidates from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via [email protected]
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.
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
Footscray Primary School is a designated bilingual school delivering the full Victorian Curriculum in English and Italian for Years Foundation to Five. The program will expand to the whole school next year. Through a 50/50 model, students complete half of their learning in Italian. The students also study specialist subjects, Science, Music and Physical Education (in English), Art (in Italian).
Each grade is co-taught by an English and an Italian teacher, with each teacher having their own classroom and classes moving between the rooms throughout the day. The teachers plan collaboratively and share responsibility for each child's social, emotional and academic learning.
To be eligible for employment, transfer or promotion in the principal or teacher class:
Details of qualification requirements as updated from time to time can be found at Recruitment in Schools.