Work Type: Fixed-term - Full-time
Salary: Salary not specified
Grade: Classroom Teacher
Occupation: Classroom teacher
Location: Gippsland - East Gippsland
Reference: 1543491
The School for Student Leadership (SSL) is a unique Victorian Government specialist school providing an immersive residential education experience for Year 9 students from across Victoria.
For more than 24 years, the School for Student Leadership has provided young people with opportunities to step outside their usual school environment, challenge themselves, develop their independence and discover their capacity to lead. More than 10,000 students have participated in the program.
The School operates across four regional Victorian campuses:
At each campus, approximately 45 Year 9 students live, learn and work together as a community for an extended residential experience. Students participate in a highly supported program that combines experiential learning, leadership education, project and inquiry-based learning, outdoor education and community engagement.
A different kind of school
The School for Student Leadership is not a conventional school setting. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for themselves, their learning and their relationships with others. Our approach is grounded in the belief that young people learn best when they are actively involved, trusted with genuine responsibility and given opportunities to apply their learning in real situations.
Our curriculum is built around three core themes:
Self-Belief | Connectedness | Relationships
These themes underpin the way we teach, care for and work with students and are embedded throughout the residential experience.
A key feature of the program is the Community Learning Project, where students develop and implement an authentic project that makes a positive contribution to their home community. Students take ownership of the project and are required to turn their ideas into action. We believe that leadership is something students do, rather than simply a position or title they hold.
Experiential and Outdoor Education
Outdoor, environmental and adventure education is an integral part of the School's curriculum. Students are challenged to develop resilience, teamwork, independence, problem-solving skills and confidence through experiences in the natural environment.
Depending on the campus and program, activities can include:
These experiences are carefully designed to support the broader educational program and provide students with opportunities to apply their learning in authentic and challenging situations.
The Residential Experience
The residential nature of the program is central to the educational experience. Students and staff live and work together as a community, creating strong relationships and providing opportunities for learning that extend well beyond the traditional classroom.
Staff play an important role in supporting students' learning, wellbeing and personal development throughout the residential program. This requires a flexible, enthusiastic, collaborative and team-oriented approach, with staff contributing across teaching, student support, supervision, outdoor education and community living.
The role involves a range of evening, overnight, early morning, weekend and public holiday duties, reflecting the unique 24/7 nature of the School.
Working at the School for Student Leadership
Working at the School for Student Leadership offers staff the opportunity to be part of a close-knit professional team where collaboration, reflection, innovation and continuous improvement are highly valued.
If you are passionate about working with adolescents, believe in the potential of every young person and are excited by the opportunity to deliver education differently, the School for Student Leadership offers a genuinely unique professional experience.
Come and be part of a school where learning extends beyond the classroom, leadership is put into action, and students are given the opportunity to discover what they are capable of.
SC1 Demonstrated knowledge of the relevant curriculum, including the ability to incorporate the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills. Demonstrated experience in responding to student learning needs.
SC2 Demonstrated experience in planning for and implementing high impact teaching strategies, guided by how students learn, and evaluating the impact of learning and teaching programs on student learning growth.
SC3 Demonstrated experience in monitoring and assessing student learning. Demonstrated experience in using data to inform teaching practice and providing feedback on student learning growth and achievement to students and parents.
SC4 Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills. Demonstrated experience in establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with students, parents, colleagues and the broader school community to support student learning, agency, wellbeing and engagement.
SC5 Demonstrated behaviours and attitudes consistent with Department values. Demonstrated experience in reflecting upon practice and engaging in professional learning to continually improve the quality of teaching.
SC6 Demonstrated knowledge, skills or experience in teaching and learning related to education for year- nine students away from usual school settings
The classroom teacher classification comprises two salary ranges- range 1 and range 2. The primary focus of the classroom teacher is on the planning, preparation and teaching of programs to achieve specific student outcomes. The classroom teacher engages in critical reflection and inquiry in order to improve knowledge and skills to effectively engage students and improve their learning.
As the classroom teacher gains experience his or her contribution to the school program beyond the classroom increases. All classroom teachers may be required to undertake other duties in addition to their rostered teaching duties provided the responsibility is appropriate to the salary range, qualifications, training and experience of the teacher.
Classroom teacher Range 2
Range 2 classroom teachers play a significant role in assisting the school to improve student performance and educational outcomes determined by the school strategic plan and state-wide priorities and contributing to the development and implementation of school policies and priorities.
A critical component of this work will focus on increasing the knowledge base of staff within their school about student learning and high quality instruction to assist their school to define quality teacher practice.
Range 2 classroom teachers will be expected to:
- Have the content knowledge and pedagogical practice to meet the diverse needs of all students
- Model exemplary classroom practice and mentor/coach other teachers in the school to engage in critical reflection of their practice and to support staff to expand their capacity
- Provide expert advice about the content, processes and strategies that will shape individual and school professional learning
- Supervise and train one or more student teachers
- Assist staff to use student data to inform teaching approaches that enable targets related to improving student learning outcomes to be achieved.
Classroom teacher Range 1
The primary focus of the range 1 classroom teacher is on further developing skills and competencies to become an effective classroom practitioner with structured support and guidance from teachers at higher levels and the planning, preparation and teaching of programs to achieve specific student outcomes. These teachers teach a range of students/classes and are accountable for the effective delivery of their programs. Range 1 classroom teachers are skilled teachers who operate under general direction within clear guidelines following established work practices and documented priorities and may have responsibility for the supervision and training of one or more student teachers.
At range 1, teachers participate in the development of school policies and programs and assist in the implementation of school priorities.
The focus of a range 1 classroom teacher is on classroom management, subject content and teaching practice. New entrants to the teaching profession in their initial teaching years receive structured support, mentoring and guidance from teachers at higher levels.
Under guidance, new entrants to the teaching profession will plan and teach student groups in one or more subjects and are expected to participate in induction programs and other professional learning activities that are designed to ensure the integration of curriculum, assessment and pedagogy across the school.
Teachers at range 1 are responsible for teaching their own classes and may also assist and participate in policy development, project teams and the organisation of co-curricula activities.
The role of classroom teacher 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.