Work Type: Fixed-term - Part-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Education Support - Level 1, Range 3
Occupation: Education and training
Location: Melbourne - CBD and Inner Metro suburbs
Reference: 1529901
As part of the Victorian African Communities Action Plan, education is identified as a key focus area and funding is available to employ School Community Liaison Officers in school communities with high populations of African young people to improve their connection to education and provide tailored support.
The School Community Liaison Officer at Thornbury High School will support your school community and a cluster of neighbouring schools with high populations of African young people to increase school engagement, strengthen partnerships with families and community and facilitate activities to increase retention and school completion.
This role will be one of eight School Community Liaison Officers appointed to school communities with high populations of African young people across the State and supported by a Senior Program Officer appointed by the Department of Education Training (DE) and operating from the DE central office in Melbourne.
Location
The School Community Liaison Officer will be located at Thornbury High School and will work in partnership with two to three neighbouring schools that have high populations of African young people.
At Thornbury High School, we are proud of what we do every day to champion innovation, inclusiveness, and academic excellence. Through our extensive academic and extra-curricular programs, we aim to foster and inspire a new generation of respectful and resilient young people ready to face a rapidly changing world.
The school's enrolment is approximately 1100 students. The school has four Principal class, 70 equivalent full-time teachers and 35 Educational Support Staff working together to achieve the school's vision, the central tenets of which are:
high academic expectations and standards
a safe and secure learning environment
a wide range of opportunities for students to pursue individual and collective aspirations
A recent highlight was winning `The Age Schools that Excel Award' for sustained improvement in VCE results. In 2023 the VCE median study score again reached 31, with 8.1% of students achieving study scores of 40 and above.
Our results in finding post-school pathways for senior students remain above the state median. The school continues to implement key teaching and learning strategies with a strong literacy and numeracy underpinning through our reinvigorated professional learning program.
Thornbury High's many strengths include our instrumental music program that includes free instrumental music tuition to all year seven and eight students as part of the performing arts curriculum, the recently expanded Sports Academy program and our Italian language immersion program.
The school has redeveloped its facilities recently completing stage two of our masterplan; a $14.9 million STEAM Centre. Our stage one Performing Arts and Sports Centre completed in 2020 has added to the vibrant teaching and learning program in those areas.
Thornbury High School values diversity in all its forms and models this in our day-to-day practices. The benefits of this are evident in the deep pride and sense of belonging within our school community. The school also conducts its own student-led annual bullying survey which has contributed to the development of a very safe and secure learning environment at the school.
For further information, visit the school's website at http://www.thornburyhs.vic.edu.au/ which includes links to our community Facebook page.
We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which our school stands, the Wurundjeri People and pay our respects to their elders past and present.
1 Experience working with school communities, families and community organisations involving individuals of culturally and linguistic diverse backgrounds.
2 Excellent stakeholder management and relationship building skills including the ability to partner with and broker support from local community organisations
3 Ability to build strong working relationships with parents and local community organisations to identify best practice and areas for improvement to support student and parent engagement.
4 Excellent time management and organisational skills
5 Ability to work as part of a statewide team and embrace a community of practice approach
The School Community Liaison Officer will be required to support school communities to focus on increasing school engagement, strengthening partnerships with families and community and facilitating activities to increase retention and school completion.
The School Community Liaison Officer will be expected to work in collaboration with School Community Liaison Officers appointed to other schools across the North West, South West and South East Victorian regions through membership of an established community of practice. The School Community Liaison Officers will be supported by a centrally based program officer and provide regular reports to support the implementation, evaluation and ongoing monitoring of the project. There is an expectation that this role will require travel to other sites of delivery and to the DET Central Office in Melbourne CBD.
1. Provide support to school communities they are working with to establish and maintain communication between young people, families and the local community
2. Work directly with groups of young people or individuals, planning interventions to ensure young people are connected to an education
3. Work directly with young people to provide platforms for student voice, facilitate leadership opportunities and facilitate activities that aligns with their needs
4. Facilitate information sessions for parents to support an increased understanding of the education system and platforms and increase engagement with parent teacher nights, information days and school celebrations
5. Facilitate professional learning for school staff on cultural responsiveness and safety coordinate workshops and forums for the school and local community
6. Facilitate access to homework clubs and afterschool programs, to offer support and mentoring outside of the school
7. Support school leaders with the rollout of the cultural competency framework and other activities aimed at strengthening inclusivity for diverse communities
8. Participate in a statewide community of practices and statewide planning days with other School Community Liaison Officers
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
- It is desirable that the successful applicant has a relevant tertiary qualification in community development, education, social work or equivalent
- All staff employed by the Department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
- Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
- A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided.
- Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the Department's Human Resources website at http://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/Pages/default.aspx