Work Type: Fixed-term - Part-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Education Support - Level 1, Range 4
Occupation: Health and allied health
Location: Melbourne - Eastern suburbs
Reference: 1528154
Yarra Ranges Special Developmental School (YRSDS) provides quality education programs for school-aged students 5-18 with a moderate to profound intellectual disability, many students also have additional impairments, including sensory, physical and/or autism spectrum disorder.
Additionally, Our Early Education Program supports pre-school children aged between 2 years eight months and 4 years 8 months with developmental delay in two or more areas. Students must meet the state-wide eligibility criteria to attend YRSDS and are enrolled in accordance with the school's documented enrolment policy. Furthermore, all students at YRSDS are entitled to a Disability Inclusion Profile, which will outline the specific level of adjustments needed for each student to effectively access the curriculum.
YRSDS is a purpose-built facility staffed by specialists dedicated to meeting the unique needs of our students. The school is organised into four sections: Early Education, Lower Primary, Upper Primary, and Secondary, each overseen by a member of the leadership team. This team includes a School Principal, two Assistant Principals, and several specialised staff members, such as a Leading Teacher, two Learning Specialists, an Inclusion Outreach Coach, a School-wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) Team Leader, a Therapy Team Leader, and an Education Support Leader. All working together to drive the school¿s vision and educational initiatives.
To address the medical needs of our students, we employ two registered nursing staff who also provide health training for all school personnel.
At YRSDS, we have a shared belief that all students are entitled to access the same learning experiences as their age- equivalent peers. All learning experiences for students aged 5 to 15 are designed according to the Victorian Curriculum 2.0 at age-appropriate levels. For our Early Education Program, we utilise the Victorian Early Years Developmental Framework, while our secondary students, aged 15 to 18 in their final three years, currently participate in an adapted program based on the Victorian Pathways Certificate. Our secondary students also have opportunities to develop recreation and work-related skill.
Individual student goals are collaboratively developed with families and/or caregivers, ensuring alignment with developmentally appropriate achievement standards from the relevant curriculum.
All students at YRSDS have an individualised Education Plan with key goals that are created in conjunction with the student, their parents/ carers and the teaching and therapy teams. Our workforce includes exceptionally skilled Teachers, Therapists (Speech, Occupational, and Physiotherapy), Mental Health Practitioners, Education Support Staff, Specialist Teachers and a Family support Co-ordinator. Utilising a multi-disciplinary approach, we provide ongoing and extensive adjustments to ensure that all students can engage safely and positively in their education.
Our school's philosophy emphasises the belief that all children learn best in a happy, challenging, and supportive environment. Teaching and learning at YRSDS is child-centred, with a focus on fostering independence.
Our instructional approach is based on Communication, School Wide Positive Behaviour Support and Structuring Functional Independence. Our vision is to build independence through active learning and our school values for the whole school community are:
These values are integral to all school policies and practices and are reinforced through positive partnerships with students, staff, parents, caregivers, volunteers, and the broader community.
Curriculum design and delivery is enhanced by the expertise of a committed and caring multi-disciplinary staff. The teacher to student ratio enables smaller classes (6-10 students) with education support staff working alongside the teacher, ensuring individualised support for all students.
We are proud to have achieved gold accreditation for School-wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
We also host the internationally acclaimed MeTV, our onsite television broadcasting service. MeTV enhances our students' learning opportunities and contributes to our curriculum in a fun, interactive way. Information Communication Technology is embedded into student learning throughout the school.
The greatest strength of our school is a culture of warmth, inclusivity, and empathy. We actively foster partnerships among parents, students, staff, caregivers, volunteers, and the wider community, creating an environment that benefits every child.
Demonstrated highly developed interpersonal skills and communication skills.
Demonstrated capability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships between people with disability and their parents and carers, other organisations or agencies and the wider community.
Demonstrated understanding of issues facing students with disability and their parents/carers.
Experience in building the capacity of others to navigate complex systems.
Demonstrated knowledge of the operations of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and/or operations of specialist schools.
Children and young people with disability can require a greater degree of parental or family involvement in their education and care than their peers without disability. Parents and carers of children with disability play several supporting roles, including as advocates and as people who can provide valuable insight into their child¿s specific needs for services such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the broader health and community services system.
The Victorian Government is introducing new NDIS Navigators from 2023 in government specialist schools to provide support to parents and carers to help them navigate and understand the NDIS, enabling them to get the most out of the supports available. They will also provide support to schools, parents and carers to better understand the interface between the education system and the NDIS.
The NDIS Navigator will carry out the following with a high level of autonomy (within broad guidelines), professional leadership and minimal day-to-day direction:
provide support and advice for parents and carers to build their capacity to understand, advocate for and access appropriate NDIS funded support services available to their children
develop and maintain relationships with parents, carers, school staff and local services to enable productive working relationships between schools, parents, carers and the NDIS
support collaborative practices between NDIS funded services and the school including by providing appropriate information, documentation and/or logistical support for approved NDIS-funded therapist on-site visits. (School to edit/amend if they do not allow NDIS therapists to delivery therapy on school site)
working collaboratively across their school, the NDIS Navigator will support families and carers to resolve issues experienced with the NDIS through appropriate channels.
The NDIS Navigator will not:
contact the National Disability Insurance Agency or NDIS funded agencies on behalf of families or carers except in limited circumstances, following consultation with the principal
act as an advocate for families, carers and students in matters that are the responsibility of the school.
The NDIS Navigator role is not a teaching role or a clinical role and is not designed for direct intervention, individual student case management or crisis management. The role will not implement or perform supports and adjustments in schools.
In some circumstances the NDIS Navigator may need to consult with the principal to prioritise families that have more complex needs that require additional support.
Relevant experience in the NDIS, disability, youth or education sectors is desirable but not essential.
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