Work Type: Fixed-term - Full-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Classroom Teacher
Occupation: Classroom teacher
Location: Melbourne - Northern suburbs
Reference: 1498630
Lalor East Primary School opened in 1972 in an established residential area of Thomastown, approximately 30 kilometres north from Melbourne Central Business District. It serves a diverse multicultural community, with over 70% of parents were born overseas and 50% of students who speak a Language Other Than English (LOTE). The school has an enrolment of 218 students in ten classes.
The school's mission is to make good people with every child being literate, numerate, happy and healthy and to reflect its values through their individual actions and active participation in their local and global community. The school believes that every child can learn and is committed to ensuring that students develop to their full capacity. The school values are Respect, Honesty, Cooperation, Caring and Personal Best. These values underpin decision making and interactions with each other and the broader school community.
A co-teaching approach is utilised across the school with a group of teaching staff and aides working with several classes. Staff come from a range of diverse cultural backgrounds with most teachers having taught more than seven years.
Teaching teams meet weekly in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and with the Literacy and Numeracy Learning Specialists to plan lessons and to assess, monitor and review student progress. Programs operate across the school to extend students and to identify and address any learning concerns.
Lalor East Primary School implements the School Wide Positive Behaviours Program and is a Lead School for the Resilience Rights and Respectful Relationships Program.
Student voice and agency is valued at our school through our Junior School Council, Cyber Action Team and Gardening Leaders program. Students work in partnership with staff and members of the broader community on school improvement initiatives.
Specialist programs include physical education, visual arts and music. The language taught was Spanish, integrated through the music program for students in Prep to Year 6. A one-hour play based oral language program was implemented weekly for students in Prep to Year 2 as part of the literacy program. Classroom teachers delivered lessons in digital technologies and library. Student voice was strongly valued through the junior school council, cyber action team and gardening leaders. Cross-age student electives were implemented through weekly wellbeing clubs.
The school's facilities consist of an administration building, Prep to Year 2 learning community (Azure building) and Years 3 to 6 learning community (Octane building). A multipurpose centre provides additional flexible learning spaces for physical education, music and class/whole school activities. It also contains a kitchen that delivers a breakfast program. The oral language centre supports play-based learning and language development. A separate relocatable is used by a provider for out of school hours care and houses a weekly playgroup run by an outside provider. Another building is used by a not-for-profit organisation focusing on helping young Australians overcome educational inequality caused by poverty.
The school had a strong commitment to the innovative use of Digital Technologies. In addition to banks of laptops available to support teaching and learning programs, the school launched a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Program for families in 2022 based on feedback and experiences of students during remote learning.
The school has worked hard to build strong connections with families and community organisations as it believes these relationships and opportunities help to improve educational expectations and support student engagement and achievement. Its strong partnerships with several agencies and organisations are integral to the school's work to support students and their families.
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.
SC6 Demonstrated experience in working with students with additional needs and from varying cultural backgrounds.
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.
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
First Aid Certificate required.
Important information for Applicants
The names and contact details of up to three referees must be provided with the application.
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.