Work Type: Ongoing - Full-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Classroom Teacher
Occupation: Classroom teacher
Location: Melbourne - Northern suburbs
Reference: 1489237
SC1 Demonstrated knowledge of the relevant curriculum, including the ability to incorporate the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills. Demonstrated experience in responding to student learning needs.
SC2 Demonstrated experience in planning for and implementing high impact teaching strategies, guided by how students learn, and evaluating the impact of learning and teaching programs on student learning growth.
SC3 Demonstrated experience in monitoring and assessing student learning. Demonstrated experience in using data to inform teaching practice and providing feedback on student learning growth and achievement to students and parents.
SC4 Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills. Demonstrated experience in establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with students, parents, colleagues and the broader school community to support student learning, agency, wellbeing and engagement.
SC5 Demonstrated behaviours and attitudes consistent with Department values. Demonstrated experience in reflecting upon practice and engaging in professional learning to continually improve the quality of teaching.
The classroom teacher classification comprises two salary ranges- range 1 and range 2. The primary focus of the classroom teacher is on the planning, preparation and teaching of programs to achieve specific student outcomes. The classroom teacher engages in critical reflection and inquiry in order to improve knowledge and skills to effectively engage students and improve their learning.
As the classroom teacher gains experience his or her contribution to the school program beyond the classroom increases. All classroom teachers may be required to undertake other duties in addition to their rostered teaching duties provided the responsibility is appropriate to the salary range, qualifications, training and experience of the teacher.
Classroom teacher Range 2
Range 2 classroom teachers play a significant role in assisting the school to improve student performance and educational outcomes determined by the school strategic plan and state-wide priorities and contributing to the development and implementation of school policies and priorities.
A critical component of this work will focus on increasing the knowledge base of staff within their school about student learning and high quality instruction to assist their school to define quality teacher practice.
Range 2 classroom teachers will be expected to:
- Have the content knowledge and pedagogical practice to meet the diverse needs of all students
- Model exemplary classroom practice and mentor/coach other teachers in the school to engage in critical reflection of their practice and to support staff to expand their capacity
- Provide expert advice about the content, processes and strategies that will shape individual and school professional learning
- Supervise and train one or more student teachers
- Assist staff to use student data to inform teaching approaches that enable targets related to improving student learning outcomes to be achieved.
Classroom teacher Range 1
The primary focus of the range 1 classroom teacher is on further developing skills and competencies to become an effective classroom practitioner with structured support and guidance from teachers at higher levels and the planning, preparation and teaching of programs to achieve specific student outcomes. These teachers teach a range of students/classes and are accountable for the effective delivery of their programs. Range 1 classroom teachers are skilled teachers who operate under general direction within clear guidelines following established work practices and documented priorities and may have responsibility for the supervision and training of one or more student teachers.
At range 1, teachers participate in the development of school policies and programs and assist in the implementation of school priorities.
The focus of a range 1 classroom teacher is on classroom management, subject content and teaching practice. New entrants to the teaching profession in their initial teaching years receive structured support, mentoring and guidance from teachers at higher levels.
Under guidance, new entrants to the teaching profession will plan and teach student groups in one or more subjects and are expected to participate in induction programs and other professional learning activities that are designed to ensure the integration of curriculum, assessment and pedagogy across the school.
Teachers at range 1 are responsible for teaching their own classes and may also assist and participate in policy development, project teams and the organisation of co-curricula activities.
The role of classroom teacher may include but is not limited to:
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 [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
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.
School Profile
Meadows Primary School is proudly multicultural, having 18 language backgrounds other than English with 71% of students recognized as English as Additional Language (EAL). Meadows Primary school has a number of families with refugee status (6%) and/or new arrivals to Australia. It is often the case that children from these families enter Meadows Primary School with little to no English. These students may have had limited exposure to formalised schooling and may have experienced traumatic events in their lives.
We have a significant percentage of transient students who enter and leave our school at various times throughout each term. This is usually due to government housing, VISA status, domestic or family violence and legal issues.
Meadows Primary School engages in the School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) framework and Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) to support trauma informed practice. We believe positive behaviours can, and should be taught. All staff are trained in the BSEM, with the strategies embedded across the school. This is our philosophy that underpins the teaching and learning programs and the learning environment. These strategies support students and teachers in their teaching and learning. Our values of Respect, Responsibility and Resilience align to SWPBS and BSEM and reinforces how the school community operates and interacts with one another.
Teachers follow scaffolded instructional models that support phonemic awareness and synthetic phonics for Reading, Teaching and Learning Cycle for writing and vocabulary development and the Four Proficiencies for Mathematics. All of which is underpinned by explicit teaching and use of HITS. Research into the Science of Learning has led us to implement changes to whole school practice that support students in their learning.
The school has a strong focus on Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) where teams drive their own cycles of inquiry, based on student needs. PLCs are fully embedded across all teaching teams, with teachers engaged in high level discussions with each other and school leaders about student achievement, growth and next steps of learning. Teachers have high levels of agency in the way they design curriculum and assess student learning, with teams having their own decision making capacity. There is a strong emphasis on distributed leadership within all teams, focussing on leading from the `middle¿, rather than as a hierarchical, `top down¿ approach.
Collaboration is key and we use PLCs as a means to effectively improve school culture and increase student achievement. It is the way teachers collaborate with each other, with their students and the level of inquiry they enter into, which will determine how successful we have been at creating a strong learning culture.
Our school vision states that¿.'We are an inclusive and safe learning community that empowers students to achieve their potential and live our values. We are responsible, respectful and resilient'.
The main driver to achieve our vision, is the development and commitment to continuously improve our school culture. We do this through an agreed set of values and norms which we call the `Meadows Cultural Compass¿. Our Cultural Compass was developed with staff as a means to create agency within the school and for teachers to have significant input into the way they work. We do this by developing collective efficacy and academic emphasis through whole school inquiry.
The school runs a community hub, (part funded by Community Hubs Australia) to provide programs that support our families. These include Adult Conversational English, Reading and Writing programs cooking and gardening classes (run through our community garden program with qualified horticulturalist), Playgroup, Adult Health and Child Minding.
The school also has an onsite kindergarten, managed by the Northern School Early Years Clusters. Three and four year old groups are offered to families and this complements a smooth transition from playgroup to kinder to school for all our families.