Location Profile Toorak Primary School was founded in 1890 and is committed to providing a holistic approach to learning where all children's academic, physical, social, emotional and psychological needs are considered. We provide a dynamic learning environment that engages and inspires students to achieve their personal best in an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation. We continually improve procedures and practices at Toorak PS so that every child has the opportunity to succeed. The buildings and grounds at Toorak PS have been fully refurbished to provide an attractive, inviting learning environment for all students. Wider community members also utilise the array of facilities on offer at Toorak PS. Our inner-city school has an enrolment of approximately 440 students with 18 classes. Single levels operate across the school from foundation through to grade 6, where possible. Four specialist classes including, French, Physical Education, Music and Visual and Performing Arts, are offered to all students throughout the year. Other languages available at Toorak PS include German and Swedish through external providers. As part of the Performing and Visual Arts Programs, a school production is staged every second year with a musical production, alternating with a school Art Show. Teaching at Toorak PS is grounded in educational research and cognitive science. We ensure that students make the most of their time on task by maximising the quality of each learning moment. Our approach focuses on building each learner's brain through explicit direct instruction, repetition, teacher fidelity, and purposeful engagement. Committed to evidence-based decision-making, Toorak PS draws on Rosenshine's research to design and map our curriculum, select effective instructional strategies, and structure lessons with precision. We employ explicit teaching, delivering new material in manageable steps, along with guided practice, teacher modelling, questioning, and review and retrieval practices. These are whole-school strategies that ensure all students make steady progress in their learning journey. Our reading instruction is comprehensive, acknowledging that teaching reading goes beyond phonics. It is supported by phonological awareness, reading fluency, vocabulary development, and comprehension, ensuring that our curriculum fosters student fluency in all essential components. At Toorak PS, instructional routines are crucial. We prioritise teaching first, reducing cognitive load, providing ample opportunities for practice, and focusing on efficient and effective learning. As educators, we recognise that knowledge stored in long-term memory is active and can be applied flexibly and effortlessly across a range of contexts. At Toorak PS, knowledge is what students think with. With this in mind, we are dedicated to a knowledge-rich curriculum, ensuring that foundational, enabling, and problem-solving knowledge is strategically developed as students progress through each stage of their education. Our professional learning program is designed to build professional practice, knowledge, capacity and understanding of curriculum. We recognise that teaching is an incredibly complex profession and that to meet the needs of students, we require ongoing opportunities for practice improvement. At Toorak PS, we are also committed to developing a strong and vibrant professional learning culture where all teachers are given the opportunity to learn and grow together. Built on a foundation of trust, our teachers have opportunities to observe and coach one another, with the view to provide the best possible education for a diverse student community. Our school's Behaviour Management approach is based on the School Wide Positive Behaviour framework and Restorative Practices. Toorak PS employs 33.2 FTE teaching staff and 13.7 FTE education support staff. The school has an SFOE of 0.1428. Selection Criteria (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. Role 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. Responsibilities 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: ensure the delivery of a comprehensive education program to all students be executive officer of the school council. establish and manage financial systems in accordance with the Department and school council requirements. represent the Department in the school and the local community. implement decisions of the school council. contribute to system-wide activities, including policy and strategic planning and development. manage and integrate the resources available to the school. appropriately involve staff, students and the community in the development, implementation and review of school policies, programs and operations. report to the Department, school community, parents and students on the achievements of the school and of individual students as appropriate. Who May Apply Appropriately qualified individuals currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching. EEO AND OHS Commitment 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. The Department of Education is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, and diversity and inclusion for all. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ, 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 family friendly, supportive, safe and harassment free workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work, diversity and safety across all schools and Department workplaces. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for persons with a disability (see Workplace adjustment guidelines). Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via education.vic.gov.au Child Safe Standards 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 DE Values 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 Conditions of Employment 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 VIT LANTITE To be eligible for employment, transfer or promotion in the principal or teacher class a person must have provisional or full registration from the Victorian Institute of Teaching. In addition, from 3 August 2020, to be eligible for employment in the principal class or teacher class, a person who graduated from a Victorian Initial Teacher Education program after 1 July 2016, must demonstrate that they have passed the literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education (LANTITE) requirements. This condition is satisfied where the LANTITE requirement is part of the Victorian Initial Teacher Education program completed by the person. VAPA Requirement To be eligible for appointment as a principal a person must either: Be a substantive Principal of a registered school in Victoria; or Have a statement of readiness following completion of the Victorian Aspiring Principal Assessment.