Work Type: Ongoing - Full-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Education Support - Level 1, Range 3
Occupation: Education and training
Location: Grampians - Ballarat
Reference: 1552449
Ballarat Specialist School provides high¿quality education for students aged 3 to 18 years with diagnosed intellectual disabilities ranging from mild to profound. We are a dual¿campus K¿12 setting structured around four stages of learning: Early Learning (3¿5 years), Primary School (5¿12 years), Middle School (12¿15 years) and Senior School (15¿18 years).
Our Early Learning to Middle School programs operate from our Gillies Street Campus, while our Senior School is located at our 8.09¿hectare FARM Campus in Norman Street. We currently support approximately 440 students across both sites.
Our Mission and Approach
Our mission, ¿Achieving Personal Success Together,¿ guides everything we do. We are committed to creating a safe, flexible and stimulating learning environment where both students and staff can reach their full potential. Our curriculum is personalised, balanced and designed to celebrate individual achievement.
Teaching and learning at Ballarat Specialist School is grounded in the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, the Victorian Pathways Certificate, a strong focus on Literacy and Numeracy, and Individual Education Plans for every student. Our pedagogy is evidence¿based and supported by a gradual release of responsibility model. Professional Learning Communities drive curriculum, assessment, inquiry and reflection across the school.
Small Class Sizes and Classroom Support
A key strength of our school is our commitment to small class sizes, ensuring students receive targeted, responsive and meaningful instruction. Each classroom is supported by Education Support (ES) staff allocated according to student need, enabling a high level of individualised attention and consistent support throughout the school day.
This structure allows teachers and ES staff to work closely together to implement personalised learning goals, support communication and engagement, respond to sensory and wellbeing needs, and create safe, predictable and inclusive learning environments.
Integrated Services Team
Our comprehensive Integrated Services Team works across all areas of the school to support students in achieving their academic, functional and personalised goals. The team includes Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Physiotherapists, Exercise Physiologists, Allied Health Assistants, Mental Health Practitioners, NDIS¿funded practitioners (in collaboration with families) and Registered Nurses.
This multidisciplinary team partners with teachers, ES staff and families to embed therapeutic, communication, health and wellbeing supports into everyday learning. Their work strengthens student engagement, independence and readiness for future pathways.
Pathways and Real¿World Learning
Ballarat Specialist School is committed to preparing students for meaningful, fulfilling futures. Our pathways model provides students with authentic, hands¿on learning experiences that build independence, confidence and employability skills.
Key pathway opportunities include school¿based enterprises such as the Vintage Soul Op Shop and cafés at both campuses, Mini Woolies at Gillies Street, and accredited vocational pathways including Certificate I in Life Skills and Certificate II courses delivered onsite in partnership with local TAFE providers. Industry¿aligned learning areas include Kitchen Operations, Retail, Horticulture, Visual Arts, Sport and Recreation, Music Industry and Work Skills.
These programs support students to explore interests, develop practical skills and transition confidently into post¿school options including supported employment, open employment, community participation and further training.
Individualised Support
Every student has an Individual Education Plan developed through a collaborative Student Support Group involving parents and carers, external agencies, classroom teachers, education assistants and our Integrated Services Team. This ensures each student¿s learning, wellbeing and communication needs are understood and supported.
The Education Support Leader is a senior education support role that provides integrated operational, therapeutic and wellbeing leadership within a mini school at Ballarat Specialist School. The role is the first point of contact for teachers and education support staff within the mini school for day-to-day problem solving, student safety and wellbeing, personal care and behaviour support.
This role is distinct from a classroom education support role in that it carries a cross-team leadership function, supporting multiple classrooms and staff rather than being assigned to a single class. The Education Support Leader works alongside the Leading Teacher and the PLC Leader to ensure the mini school operates safely, responsively and in the best interests of students at all times.
Given the complex behavioural, physical and therapeutic needs of students across BSS, this role requires high levels of competence across personal care, behaviour support and therapeutic liaison, as well as the interpersonal skills to support and guide the wider education support team in these areas.
1. Student Safety, Behaviour Support and Personal Care
Provide timely and skilled behaviour support across classrooms within the mini school, including de-escalation and co-regulation of students presenting with complex or challenging behaviour.
Act as the first response for student safety matters within the mini school, including attending classrooms when called upon by staff.
Provide one-to-one support for individual students requiring intensive regulation or de-escalation, in addition to whole-class and whole-team support.
Deliver personal care including hoisting, toileting, changing, peg and tube feeding for students with complex physical needs, in accordance with individual student health plans and relevant training requirements.
Provide first aid as required, maintaining current certification and responding to medical events in line with school protocols.
Supervise and support students with tier 2 programs, providing the level of support required for student safety.
Oversee the administration component of the attendance process within their mini school, including reviewing attendance daily, and liaising with classroom teachers, LTs, APs and Principal to ensure attendance process is followed.
2. Staff Support and Operational First Response
Serve as the operational first point of contact for all staff within the mini school, responding to requests for support across classrooms throughout the day.
Provide cover for classrooms when a staff member needs to step out, ensuring continuity of supervision and support for students.
Provide practical strategies, guidance and in-the-moment coaching to education support staff and teachers on behaviour support, regulation and personal care.
Offer a confidential and supportive space for staff to debrief, problem-solve and seek guidance, contributing to staff wellbeing within the mini school.
Lead day-to-day operational problem solving within the mini school, managing minor facilities, logistics and organisational issues as they arise and escalating to the Leading Teacher or maintenance as required.
Support ES staff with documentation and child protection obligations.
Mentoring new ES staff in their respective mini schools
3. Allied Health Liaison
Maintain close and regular communication with the allied health team regarding individual student needs, strategies and therapeutic plans, ensuring information is shared with relevant classroom staff.
Attend meetings with the Leading Teacher and allied health staff to contribute observations and implement recommendations around student strategies and classroom approaches.
Ensure sensory resources and therapeutic supports are available and appropriately used within classrooms across the mini school.
Support the translation of allied health recommendations into everyday classroom practice, in partnership with the Leading Teacher and classroom teachers.
4. Communication and Relationships
Conduct morning and afternoon check-ins with classes and key staff across the mini school to monitor student and team wellbeing and identify emerging needs.
Attend daily meetings with the Leading Teacher and PLC to provide updates, share observations and contribute to planning.
Liaise with and support other Leaders across the school, contributing to a connected and collaborative education support community.
Supporting LT¿s and AP¿s in ES allocation during the school year and into next year planning.
5. Compliance and Documentation
Support staff to record and chronicle student incidents accurately and in a timely manner via Compass, in line with school policy.
Support staff to complete incident reports through EduSafe Plus where required, ensuring accurate and compliant documentation.
Maintain awareness of individual student health, behaviour support and safety plans, and support these plans are followed consistently across the mini school.
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