Work Type: Ongoing - Full-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Learning Specialist - Range 3
Occupation: Learning specialist
Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs
Reference: 1500384
Each applicant must address the below selection criteria:
SC1 Demonstrated expert knowledge of the Victorian Curriculum and evidence-based instructional practice. Demonstrated ability to lead and manage the implementation of school priorities in pedagogy, including coaching and mentoring staff in Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) and the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 (VTLM 2.0) to achieve high levels of student engagement and learning growth.
SC2 Demonstrated ability to lead the planning and implementation of high-impact teaching strategies that strengthen instructional consistency and classroom management. Demonstrated ability to support teachers to evaluate and refine their practice through lesson observations, feedback, and the use of data to improve student learning outcomes.
SC3 Demonstrated exemplary ability to monitor and assess student learning and engagement data at the class, cohort, or whole-school level, and use this information to lead targeted improvement initiatives. Demonstrated ability to support colleagues in using data to inform teaching, measure instructional impact, and provide meaningful feedback on student progress to students and parents.
SC4 Demonstrated exemplary interpersonal and leadership skills. Demonstrated ability to lead collaborative professional relationships with teachers, Education Support Staff, parents, and school leaders to enhance instructional quality, classroom culture, and the effective use of support personnel in promoting student achievement.
SC5 Demonstrated ability to model professional behaviours and attitudes consistent with Department values and the school's instructional culture. Demonstrated ability to reflect upon one's own and others' practice, and to contribute to the design and delivery of whole-school professional learning that builds collective teacher efficacy.
Additional Notes:
Learning Specialists will be highly skilled classroom practitioners who continue to spend the majority of their time in the classroom delivering high-quality teaching and learning and have a range of responsibilities related to their expertise, including teaching demonstration lessons, observing and providing feedback to other teachers and facilitating school-based professional learning. Learning Specialists are expected to have deep knowledge and expertise in high quality teaching and learning in delivering improved achievement, engagement and wellbeing for students. The role of the Learning Specialist will be to model excellence in teaching and learning through demonstration lessons and, mentoring and coaching teachers in improving the skill, knowledge and effectiveness of the teaching workforce.
The Learning Specialist role is aimed at building excellence in teaching and learning within the Teaching Service.
GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES
The Learning Specialist at South Melbourne Primary School plays a key role in strengthening instructional practice across the school through evidence-based coaching, mentoring, and professional learning. The position focuses on supporting teachers to deliver high-quality, explicit teaching aligned with the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0 (VTLM 2.0) and Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI). Working closely with the Curriculum Leader and school leadership team, the Learning Specialist ensures strong alignment between curriculum, pedagogy, and student engagement, while fostering a culture of calm, consistent, and purposeful classrooms.
The core role of the Learning Specialist 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
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.
South Melbourne
South Melbourne Primary School acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we are located; the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation.
At South Melbourne Primary School, we aim to be an outlier in excellence for the benefit of our students, their families and ourselves. 2026 will be South Melbourne Primary School's 9th year of operation. Setting up a new school has allowed us to select staff who are determined to implement effective, evidence-based approaches and processes. Our values of Character, Community and Learning form the basis of everything we do.
Purpose: We care for and educate children so that they are safe, happy, connected and achieving.
Vision: Inspiring hearts and minds to thrive
Values: Character, Community and Learning
Character: Our People. Strong Together
Creating a warm, inclusive culture is important to us. Equally, there is a high sense of expectation running parallel to our work. Our staff are united in aspirations for academic and behavioural excellence. Our staff plan and collaborate in Professional Learning Teams, building each other¿s knowledge. Our staff practice GEMS (Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Show More Love) in Staff Huddles, meetings and daily interactions.
We mindfully build strong character in our students. We refer to our Big 10 Essential Habits regularly. These are based on core traits that we want to embed in the behaviour, work habits, social skills and effort of our students. We hold blitzes on key areas of character, such as manners, to ensure our standards never slip. Emotional intelligence and self-regulation are actively taught to students through weekly lessons focussed on social and emotional learning.
Learning: Our Program. Be your best in your practice
Literacy and Numeracy are our lead academic ideals. All staff are trained and supported to understand the purpose and effective implementation of these subjects at our school. We base our work in recognised theories of cognitive science and Explicit Direct Instruction. We use defined approaches and programs to turn these theories into practice with exacting standards. We measure our progress in all these aspects through rigorous data collection and analysis ¿ for staff, students and families. We strive for program consistency to achieve a `low variance, high fidelity¿ curriculum so that every child has the best opportunity to succeed.
Coaching, observation and feedback occurs in Professional Learning Teams and across our staff to support our pursuit of practice improvement.
Our Specialist Programs provide outstanding opportunities for students to find and hone talents in the areas of Music and Performing Arts, Visual Art, Mandarin and Physical Education.
Community: Our Place
Our students come from every corner of the world. Each one adds to our school and we consider it a privilege to be able to educate them. We are proud to be a place where our community¿s multicultural backgrounds come together.
We approach learning as a partnership with the families of our students. We seek to engage our students¿ families through a range of in person and digital means. These include Celebration of Learning Days, assemblies, Seesaw and Compass. We report student progress, both social emotional and academic, to families transparently on a termly basis as we strongly believe that parents have the right to know how their child is progressing.
We often visit areas in the community or have visitors come to present to our students. We consider this part of a rich curriculum that inspires hearts and minds to thrive.
We form a strong partnership with the City of Port Phillip to provide wrap-around services including a Kindergarten, Out of Hours School Care, Sports and Recreation and Health Services.
Please be aware that there is no on-site staff car parking at South Melbourne Primary School. Staff can commute via public transport (a 96-tram stop is at our door), walk, ride or pay for parking on the surrounding streets if spots are available.