Work Type: Ongoing - Full-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Assistant Principal - Range 3
Occupation: Principal and assistant principal
Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs
Reference: 1486774
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL KEY SELECTION CRITERIA
Preamble
Assistant Principals are highly skilled classroom practitioners and educational administrators and undertake leadership and management roles commensurate with their salary range. The role of Assistant Principals is to improve the skill, knowledge and performance of the teaching workforce in the school and to improve the curriculum and management of human, physical and cultural resources. Typically, Assistant Principals are responsible for coordinating a large number of staff and educational resources 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. Assistant Principals are expected to lead and mange significant areas and functions within the school with a high degree of independence to ensure the effective development, provision and evaluation of the school¿s educational program. Assistant Principals will be expected to make a significant contribution to policy development relating to teaching and learning in the school.
University High School values its Assistant Principals and sees the work of these teachers as integral to the effective management of the school. Assistant Principals are central to the Administration team and need to maintain a high profile across the college. They should be excellent teachers, and be capable of assessing the teaching of others. Assistant Principals are likely to have career aspirations that may extend to promotion to the role of Principal. As such, they should seek out professional development opportunities that allow them to continuously improve areas of policy knowledge, management capability, and classroom practice. Assistant Principals at University High School must work within a framework of continuous improvement. Staff will be expected to justify annual work programs on this basis. While time allowances are rarely sufficient for staff to complete all the work required in schools, Assistant Principals must acknowledge that the additional pay provided in the Principal class, combined with the potential career advancement inherent in these positions, provides a fundamental rationale for working in Assistant Principal roles at University High.
The successful applicant for this Assistant Principal position will have demonstrated that they are committed to the ethos of the school, as well as the Principal's expectations of workload and agency. A prominent profile within staff and students is essential. The Assistant Principal will teach one timetabled class.
General Duties and Responsibilities
The Assistant Principal team portfolios for 2026 will be allocated according to the strengths, skills and knowledge of the entire team of five Principal-class officers and will be negotiated with the successful applicant. Apart from their specific roles, Assistant Principals must have a significant presence as members of the overall leadership of the college. Hence, they are central to ensuring all school policies are implemented. Expectations include:
Portfolios and key responsibilities across the AP team include:
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 [email protected]
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
Selection process
The selection process will include a written application addressing the Assistant Principal Key Selection Criteria, an interview, and a presentation.
Responses to KSC should be no more than 2 pages per criteria, and no smaller than 10pt font.
Applicants should include an up-to-date CV.
Please include e-mail addresses and mobile phone numbers for at least 3 referees.
Contact and tour
Questions can be directed to the Principal, Nick Scott on 0439 003 368
A tour for prospective applicants will be held at 4.00 PM on Thursday August 14 at the Story St campus. Bookings for this tour should be directed to Surianti at [email protected]
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.
Background
University High School is a large inner-city secondary school, catering to the local area including Parkville, Carlton, North Melbourne and the Melbourne CBD. The school has a rich and proud history of providing outstanding educational opportunities to its unique and diverse local community, which represents a wide range of language, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Our students are the heart and soul of our school, and enrolment growth has been rapid over the past five years. In 2025 we have over 1975 students enrolled. All Year 9 students are based at the newly opened Lonsdale St campus for their entire program, and up to 150 Year 11 and 12 students are enrolled in the specialist science program, Elizabeth Blackburn Sciences (EBS). This is a select-entry program, but UHS itself is a neighbourhood, not a select-entry, school. UHS is also the host school for the Gene Technology Access Centre (GTAC), the first of the state-wide Science Centres, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024.
In 2025, the school is in the fourth year of its Strategic Plan and revised leadership structure. This Strategic Plan has had a focus on developing consistent, collaborative and whole-school practices to support strong student-teacher relationships and connection to school; and to enhance student learning growth through responsive and explicit teaching. This has led to the development of new, whole school frameworks for both relationships and engagement (using BSEM and SWBPS) and for teaching and learning.
The school's values were redefined in 2022. They are:
- Curiosity: We are open to new ideas about the world and each other. We seek to learn, explore and understand.
- Kindness: We treat each other and our world with respect, humanity and empathy.
- Excellence: We uphold high standards, challenging ourselves to grow in all we do. We persevere and show resilience to be our best.
- Connection: We know that we are stronger together. We work to ensure that all belong equally in our community.
Students are expected to engage with all aspects of the formal curriculum and recognition is given to both outstanding achievement and to positive participation and improvement. The co-curricular program caters for a wide range of student interests and abilities and student participation at all levels is fostered. Student voice and leadership is embraced within the school and at all levels through a variety of forums.
The school's curriculum encompasses the breadth of Domain learning areas with students undertaking a wide range of subjects. Year 7 and 8 provide a solid foundation in all learning areas; whilst Year 9 students combine a year-long standard curriculum program with opportunities for guided thematic inquiry and community engagement. Students in Years 10-12 access an elective program with a rich choice of subjects including VCE, VCE-VM and VET.
Staff work in collaborative teams through domains, program areas and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). A wide range of professional development opportunities, in both internal and external contexts, are available to all staff. Leading Teachers and Learning Specialists have responsibility for various curriculum and student management folios. The school has six principal class officers including four Assistant Principals and an additional Assistant Principal working as the Director of the Gene Technology Access Centre.