Work Type: Ongoing - Full-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Principal - Range 4
Occupation: Principal and assistant principal
Location: Melbourne - Southern suburbs
Reference: 1514475
(a) Vision and values
Demonstrated capacity to create a shared vision, define and gain acceptance of school goals and set and communicate expectations for effective performance.
(b) Teaching and Learning
Demonstrated ability to manage the quality of teaching and create a positive culture of challenge, support and collaboration.
(c) Improvement, Innovation and Change
Demonstrated capacity to produce and implement clear, evidence-based improvement plans and policies and lead innovation and change.
(d) Management
Demonstrated capacity to ensure that the school's human, physical and financial resources are efficiently allocated and managed.
(e) Development
Demonstrated capacity to create a professional learning community that is focused on the continuous improvement of teaching and learning, supporting all staff to achieve high standards and commitment to their own learning and wellbeing.
(f) Engagement
Demonstrated capacity to develop positive relationships with students, parents/families and the local community and participate in and contribute to system-level activities.
The role of the principal is to lead and manage the planning, delivery, evaluation and improvement of the education of all students in a community through the deployment of resources provided by the Department and the school community.
At the same time, the principal, as executive officer of the school council, must ensure that adequate and appropriate advice is provided to the council on educational and other matters, that the decisions of the council are implemented and that adequate support and resources are provided for the conduct of council meetings.
The principal is accountable for the overall management and development of the school within statewide guidelines and Government policies. A clear set of accountabilities, which distinguish their work from other members of the Teaching Service and the education community are set out in detail in the contract of employment.
The core accountabilities of all principals are to:
Appropriately qualified individuals currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching.
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.
To be eligible for appointment as a principal a person must either:
School Profile
Vision:
To provide a safe and challenging learning environment, empowering students to strive for personal excellence to become lifelong learners.
Values:
Integrity in all that we do. Respect for ourselves, each other and our environment. Excellence in all our endeavours that lead to high quality performance.
Geographic Location:
Patterson Lakes Primary School opened in 1979 and is located in the residential corridor between the Mornington Peninsula Freeway and Port Phillip Bay, 33km SSE of the Melbourne CBD. The school is surrounded by a series of interconnected canals around the Patterson River waterway.
Patterson Lakes Primary School has modern buildings, grounds and facilities that have the flexibility of both flexible learning spaces and traditional classrooms. Our buildings include 13 permanent classrooms, 12 relocatables, a visual arts room, a library, a STEAM Centre, an administration block and a multipurpose facility. During 2010, the school completed a multipurpose facility through the Federal Government¿s BER program and in 2014, the Staff Room was relocated to accommodate the growth in staff numbers, and a Science Room was developed. In 2018, the school was successfully secured 2.2 million dollars for a Capital Works project - adding two additional General-Purpose Classrooms, a new Administration Centre, developing a Library and Resources Centre and a STEAM centre. These works were completed in mid-2021 and formally opened in 2022. The grounds include a large oval, grassed playing areas, adventure playgrounds with shade sails and basketball courts, offering an attractive, safe and stimulating learning environment.
The school¿s enrolment was 528 students in 2025 and the indicative numbers for 2026 are 509. 4.7% of students have a language background other than English and do not speak English at home. The school has 45.55 equivalent full-time staff - 2 Principal Class, 1 Leading Teacher, 2 Learning Specialists, 30 teachers and 14 Education Support Staff. The current SFOE is 0.2369.
Patterson Lakes Primary is a progressive school committed to the development of its staff and to the improvement of student learning. The school¿s values of Integrity, Respect and Excellence form the moral purpose of the school and the foundation for ensuring the best environment for all members of our community. The school has a strong culture of high expectations, relationship building, curriculum delivery and extra-curricular programs. Our programs are designed to cater for the needs of students by providing a differentiated curriculum and `point of learning¿ focus.
This includes a variety of enrichment programs, both within and beyond regular classrooms. There is a strong partnership between parents and staff, with a high level of parent participation on School Council and committees, including: the Family, Friends and Fundraising Association, classroom liaison parents, classroom helpers and social activities. The school has committed to the Respectful Relationships Program as a whole-school approach to improving student¿s mental health and wellbeing. Respectful Relationships has promoted social and emotional learning, provided support to students who may be experiencing mental health difficulties, and has allowed the school to work more authentically with parents. There has been a very strong focus on developing resilience within the community, particularly following the impact of COVID-19.
The school offers strong pastoral care, a rich student voice program through leadership programs, a vibrant House System, and an InSPIRE vertical grouping model, which provides students with a stronger connectedness with their peers beyond the classroom. The school has committed to implementing the SWPBS framework in 2026.
In Term 4 of 2023, the school completed the School Review process, and identified two areas of focus going forward:
Goal 1: Maximise the learning achievement for every student.
Goal 2: Maximise the wellbeing outcomes for every student.