Work Type: Fixed-term - Full-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Education Support - Level 1, Range 3
Occupation: Education and training
Location: Melbourne - Western suburbs
Reference: 1519333
Join our outstanding team in 2026!
We're on the lookout for highly skilled and passionate staff to be part of our dynamic school community.
More about our amazing school:
At Staughton College, we are deeply passionate about high-quality education and its positive impact on young people and their communities. For us, education is more than just imparting knowledge; it's about nurturing the whole individual, fostering a love for learning, and equipping students with the skills and values they need to succeed in life.
Over the past decade, our college has grown significantly, now serving over 1,800 students with a dedicated team of 200 staff members. Our community thrives on the belief that students excel when their learning and well-being are closely connected. We are committed to creating an environment where every student has the opportunity to become the best version of themselves.
Our guiding philosophy is grounded in equity of access and high expectations, ensuring that all children will learn and achieve their full potential. We ensure that all students leave Staughton College with a love of learning, a strong sense of self-worth, confidence, independence, risk-taking skills, and self-discipline. High expectations for learning and behaviour are tied to respect for the rights and responsibilities of all members of our community.
Staughton College is a place where students are empowered to be dynamic members of our community, actively participating in both classroom learning and extracurricular activities. Through our Staughton Student Matrix, we explicitly teach and acknowledge key positive behaviours that enhance learning, effort, and respect. As an accredited Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) school, we offer specialized pathways for highly able students, ensuring they receive the support and opportunities needed to excel.
A cornerstone of our philosophy is a staff culture that prioritizes strong relationships and open, meaningful conversations about what truly matters. This culture is not just a statement, it¿s something we live out every day. We consistently model and reinforce these values, ensuring we support one another while also holding ourselves accountable to the highest standards.
We believe that by investing in every staff member and supporting them in being their best, our students will be best placed to thrive. This commitment is reflected in the ongoing support and the many opportunities we provide for professional growth in teaching and leadership.
Our teaching staff use point-of-need data and assessments to plan personalized learning environments, effectively engaging students and meeting their unique needs. Our instructional model, based on the Marzano/Pollock GANAG framework, is used consistently across classrooms, ensuring deep learning. We also embrace a whole-school approach to curriculum development, where strong practitioners invest in writing robust curriculum frameworks, allowing teaching teams to focus on how to teach content effectively.
At Staughton College, we strive to exceed expectations, fostering a culture where everyone-students and staff alike-can grow, learn, and achieve excellence.
KSC 1: Demonstrated ability to build strong, respectful relationships with young people, particularly those who are disengaged or have complex needs.
KSC 2: Demonstrated experience supporting students to follow school routines and expectations, including uniform, attendance and class engagement.
KSC 3: Demonstrated capacity to conduct active, targeted yard supervision to reduce truancy and improve classroom engagement.
KSC 4: Demonstrated ability to work independently while contributing positively to a team.
KSC 5: Understanding of child safety, duty of care, and professional conduct in a school setting.
This is a Full Time position- 1.0 Time Fraction. Hours are 8:00am to 4:06pm. School Holiday attendance may be required for up to 6 days across the year.
Range 3 is distinguished by the introduction of management responsibility and accountability for the delivery of professional support services. The role will usually impact beyond the work area or professional field. It seeks to gain cooperation of other staff members or members of the school community to achieve specific objectives, such as in school administration, operations or educational programs.
Direction on targets and goals is provided but the position will have some degree of latitude in determining how they are achieved. This latitude will generally be limited by standard procedures and school policy. Deviation from standard procedures and school policy will require guidance and direction from senior management.
The provision of business management responsibilities becomes a feature at range 3. Management of staff to achieve the expected outcomes is a key responsibility. Staff management issues will be resolved with minimal reference to senior management, although guidance will be required in more complex cases. Senior management will be provided with timely reports and advice, although this will generally be confined to matters relating to the immediate work area, service provision or educational program and is unlikely to impact substantially on whole of school operations.
This is the minimum range for positions that carry a mandatory qualification requirement of not less than four years. Professional student support positions become a feature at range 3 (e.g. therapists, psychologists) where standard professional services are delivered. Professional support and guidance will be close at hand and deviation from standard procedures and school policy will require guidance and direction from senior management.
An education support class position supports the educational services being provided to students, but must not include duties of teaching as defined in clause 2.6.1 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) or its successor. Supervision of students cannot be required except where it is an integral part of the employee's position or involves supervision of students individually or in small groups, in controlled circumstances, where the responsibility for students remains clearly with a teacher.
Role Description: Community Mentor
The Community Mentor plays an important role in supporting student wellbeing, engagement, and readiness to learn within the secondary school environment. Working as part of a whole-school approach to tiered intervention, the Community Mentor contributes to strategies that promote positive student outcomes and a supportive school culture.
A key focus of the role is working across the proactive and preventative space, contributing to universal (Tier 1) supports that promote positive behaviour, connection to school, and engagement in learning. Community Mentors are visible and active across the school, building strong relationships with students through regular interaction in classrooms, learning spaces, and school grounds.
The role also involves supporting targeted interventions (Tier 2) by planning and facilitating small group sessions for students who require additional support to strengthen engagement, develop positive behaviours, and build social and emotional skills. For students identified as most at risk, the Community Mentor may provide individual mentoring (1:1) to support personal goal setting, connection to learning, and positive school participation.
Community Mentors work closely with school staff to support the implementation of student engagement and behaviour plans, contributing to the case management of priority students. They may participate in Student Support Group (SSG) meetings, providing insight into student progress and working collaboratively with staff, families, and external supports where required.
An essential element of the role is building strong connections between the school, students, and their families. Through positive communication and relationship-building, Community Mentors help strengthen partnerships that support student wellbeing and success.
Through proactive engagement, targeted support, and strong relationships, the Community Mentor helps create an inclusive and supportive school environment where students feel connected, supported, and ready to learn.
Responsibilities
Lead on providing active mentoring in strengthening students¿ attendance at school and engagement in general academic work, especially those who may have been involved with the justice system or are disengaging from the school.
Engage and monitor students in co-curriculum activities, such as homework club, lunchtime activities and sports.
Develop effective one on one or group mentoring, especially by facilitating groups and school activities that are driven by a data informed approach
Liaise with the families of students to support them in connection with programs and the school more broadly.
Support and be present for key school events and activities such as assemblies, parent teacher student conferences, grade 6 into year 7 transition.
Develop positive relationships with the students, their families and community to ensure that the school policies and processes are understood in supporting the school¿s goals.
Attend sub school meetings, SSGs or other meetings as required
Strengthen the connections of parents to school¿s events, and other college community engagement initiatives.
Support the Wellbeing team and Sub-schools to monitor the social, emotional, and learning progress of students
Support in the development of goals and monitoring of student IEPs including First Nations students.
Individuals with the aptitude, experience and/or qualifications to fulfill the specific requirements of 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
PREPARATION OF APPLICATION
Applicants should adhere to standard procedures for the submission of written applications. Applicants may prepare their applications in any form desired, but the following recommendations are provided to assist all candidates:
1. Responses to criteria MUST be no longer than 10 pages using a font no smaller than size 12.
2. Applications should include a CV containing at least your address and contact numbers (business and private), classification, current position, evidence of qualifications and VIT number
3. Applications should address all five of the Key Selection Criteria.
4. Applicants may nominate up to three (3) referees. Nominated referees should be individuals who can make relevant comments regarding the applicant in relation to the Key Selection Criteria.