Role
Leading teachers will be highly skilled classroom practitioners and undertake leadership and management roles commensurate with their salary range. The role of leading teachers is to improve the skill, knowledge and performance of the teaching workforce in a school or group of schools and to improve the curriculum program of a school.
Typically, leading teachers are responsible for coordinating a number of staff to achieve improvements in teaching and learning which may involve the coordination and professional support of colleagues through modelling, collaborating and coaching and using processes that develop knowledge, practice and professional engagement in others.
Leading teachers are expected to lead and manage a significant area or function within the school with a high degree of independence to ensure the effective development, provision and evaluation of the school's education program.
Leading teachers will be expected to make a significant contribution to policy development relating to teaching and learning in the school. A leading teacher has a direct impact and influence on the achievement of the school goals.
Leading teachers are usually responsible for the implementation of one or more priorities contained in the school strategic plan.
Responsibilities
Teaching and Learning-
1. Manage and collaborate with Coordinators (Yr10, VM, VCE)
2. Oversee and support the IEP process with VCE & VM Coordinators in term’s one and three.
3. Oversee and support VCE & VM Coordinators to ensure PSD funded IEPs are completed and implemented by all staff.
4. Liaise with the PSD coordinator and learning support team to provide support for students requested by coordinators.
5. Monitor attendance and intervene when attendance is 95% or lower by developing attendance plans in conjunction with students and families.
6. Establish a senior school calendar of events and important academic events, exams, study lectures, camps, SAC dates, GAT and VCAA dates
7. Oversee distance ed subjects for those studying externally - liaise with parents, teachers, students and administer SACs
8. Assist Coordinators to develop the ‘Head Start’ program
9. Assist coordinators to develop practice exam timetable
Student Management -
10. Communicate with students, staff, parents and leadership on important student management issues
11. Provide guidance and advice on relational approaches to student management
12. Support Coordinators in conducting Student Support Group meetings with families
13. Organise and liaise with parents regarding the debutante ball
14. Coordinate the School Captain and House Captain application process for the following year
15. Liaise with Junior School Coordinator to organise the awards afternoon
16. Promote positive psychology strategies, recognition of achievement by students and feedback to parents on positive attitudes, school wide positive behaviours, etc.
17. Review and improve student management procedures in collaboration with Staff and Leadership
18. Conflict resolution through restorative practices.
VCE VCE/VCE VM Coordination-
19. Collaborate with VCE coordinator to improve VCE results
20. Organise Senior School Information Evening with VCE and VCE VM Coordinators
21. Support the VCE Coordinator to deliver VCE data to all teachers at the end of the year, and support teachers to use this data the following year
22. Liaise with careers and VCE/VCE VM Coordinators that students are on track to achieve their goals
23. Coordinate VCAA exam centre arrangements
Staff/Student Wellbeing-
24. Liaise with Wellbeing team to ensure a safe school environment
25. Promote Koori Inclusion and cultural promotion of Aboriginal culture
26. Liaise with Koorie Education Support Staff regarding attendance and wellbeing issues, and before exiting any ATSI students
27. Follow up any outstanding issues relating to staff concerns regarding student wellbeing and management
28. Develop partnerships with external agencies to support student wellbeing
29. Work in conjunction with the school counsellor to implement programs to work with and support the inclusion and wellbeing of students within the College who may be marginalised or in other ways at risk
30. Ensure that staff are adequately trained and supported in processes such as Mandatory Reporting, Disability Standards for Education: Secondary, Mental Health First Aid, etc.
31. Attend and contribute to Wellbeing and Engagement meetings
32. Ensure non-perishable food is available to all students in Years 10-12.
Who May Apply
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.
EEO AND OHS Commitment
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 ).
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants can contact Brett West, Yamatji man, in the Koorie Outcomes Division to talk about the recruitment process, the Department and supports for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in the Department. Mobile: 0477 726 801 or email on:
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:
DE Values
The Department’s employees commit to upholding DE’s Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. DE’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 DE values is available at:
Conditions of Employment
33. All staff employed by the Department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
34. Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
35. A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided.
36. Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the Department's Human Resources website at
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.
Location Profile
Stawell Secondary College embraces the values of Participation, Aspiration, Inclusion, Resilience and Respect.
The College serves Stawell and surrounding rural areas. Situated approximately 230 km west-north-west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway to Adelaide, Stawell has a population of approximately 6,000 people and is close to the world renowned Grampians National Park.
Our school benefits from very strong connections to its community and works closely with its nine feeder primary schools, health agencies and other community services. Stawell Secondary College provides a comprehensive curriculum with a range of pathways to meet the interests and needs of its 365 students. Year 7 and 8 students study a comprehensive program based on the Victorian Curriculum; Years 9 to 10 enable increasing choice of subjects as student progress through the school or enrol from elsewhere. Years 11 and 12 pathways are tailored to student needs, via the Victorian Certificate of Education.
Stawell Secondary College is particularly proud of its Chinese Language program and the links it provides to our primary schools in their delivery of Chinese language programs. We are actively involved in the Victorian Young Leaders to China (VLYC) program and have regularly sent students to China as part of our sister-school relationships when international travel was safer than we currently are experiencing. We look forward to being able to once again encourage our students to experience international travel in the near future.
The College introduced a one-to-one laptop program in 2012, and this has been successfully embedded throughout the school.
The College has created the opportunity for staff to contribute to the development of an innovative curriculum that reflects 21st century technologies and a culture of collaboration, through Professional Learning Communities.
Social and emotional learning is supported through a vertical home group structure for all students. There is a horizontal student management structure with a year level co-ordinator for each year level. There are also Sub-School managers that oversee the Junior and Senior sectors. All staff actively work to promote engagement and utilise restorative practice to re-engage students when necessary, and the College is in the first stages of the implementation of the School Wide Positive Behaviour Support framework. Student leadership is integral to the success of our school, and this is developed with student ambassadors, house leaders, school captains and bus-route leaders.
Sport, music and various forms of competition are offered within the curriculum and can also be pursued as extra-curricular activities. Individuals and teams compete in a range of sports to state level, and several bands and ensembles perform for entertainment and competition. Instrumental music tuition is encouraged and can lead to a number of music certificates.
Progressive recruitment of graduates has enabled the College to develop a balance between new and experienced teachers promoting a culture of positive mentoring relationships and the infusion of new ideas. Stawell Secondary College provides real opportunities for staff to play a leading role in school improvement.
The College is currently engaged in the master-planning process and late in 2020 we were fortunate to open a new Science and Food Technology Building. We are currently working with the Victorian Schools Building Authority in the final planning of Stage 2 which will see the construction of a new administration block and the re-development of our heritage building into general purpose classrooms.