Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader-Classroom Teacher
Department of Education Victoria – Bendigo VIC
Harcourt Valley Primary School is a rural school located 30 kilometres south of Bendigo and is the amalgamation of two district schools. Students are drawn from Sutton Grange, Faraday, Barkers Creek and Harcourt. The new school building was completed in 2009 and accommodates students from Foundation to Grade 6. The project space forms the core of the main building and includes a kitchen facility and library and is used for a range of whole school and community activities. The school also has a full‑sized stadium built in 2011 and an art room. The grounds include a range of play spaces.
Currently there are four classes from Foundation‑6. Learning programs are based on the Victorian Curriculum and the school provides specialist programs in visual arts, music, physical education and LOTE French. A range of cultural incursions supports the arts program.
All staff at Harcourt Valley Primary School are dedicated and work cohesively, sharing high expectations of themselves, their peers and pupils. Staff have a strong commitment to a cooperative team approach. A high degree of professionalism and involvement in continuous professional development is highly valued amongst staff members.
At Harcourt Valley Primary School we place a strong emphasis on our school values. All members of the school community are guided by these expectations.
Student leadership opportunities include school captains and vice captains, house captains and a bus captain. Student wellbeing is supported by several programs which include: School Wide Positive Behaviour, Better Buddies, staff/student mentoring, and peer support programmes.
The school recognises the importance of its partnership with home and actively encourages interaction with the wider community.
Selection Criteria
* SC1 "Content of teaching and learning". Demonstrated ability to inform and influence the work of others involved in the engagement, mental health, wellbeing or learning of children and young people.
* SC2 "Teaching practice". Demonstrated ability to input into the development, implementation and evaluation of processes and strategies relating to mental health, wellbeing or learning.
* SC3 "Assessment and reporting of student learning". Demonstrated ability to support a student's mental health, wellbeing or learning by developing and maintaining connection with external services.
* SC4 "Interaction with the school community". Demonstrated high level interpersonal skills and communication skills. Demonstrated high level of capability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with students, parents, other employees and the broader school community to focus on student learning, wellbeing and engagement.
* SC5 "Professional requirements". Demonstrated ability to influence and negotiate by gaining buy‑in and ownership for ideas, gaining agreement to proposals, or involving experts or other third parties to strengthen a case.
Role
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 programmes 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.
Responsibilities
Operating in collaboration with their school, leadership and wellbeing team where relevant, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader will:
* Promote a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing to students, staff and families.
* Support teachers and school staff to expand their capacity to embed evidence‑based mental health strategies, interventions and programmes and build mental health literacy to identify and support primary school students with mental health concerns.
* Collaborate with school staff to inform, influence and provide input into teaching and learning relating to mental health and wellbeing. Provide support to school staff and classroom teachers to build their capabilities to embed mental health into the classroom.
* Work with school leadership and wellbeing teams to embed whole school approaches to mental health into school planning and strategic processes. Coordinate clear referral pathways internally (within school) and externally (to community services) for students identified as requiring further assessment and intervention.
* Proactively work with and support regional staff, school wellbeing and leadership teams, teachers, parents/carers and other external agencies to coordinate targeted mental health support for primary school students.
* Contribute to the school's existing wellbeing team.
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.
Diversity and Inclusion
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 *******@education.vic.gov.au.
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.
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 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:
Other Information
* 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 programmes provided.
* Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the department's Human Resources website at
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 programmes provided.
* Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the department's Human Resources website at
Qualification Requirements
* The person must have provisional or full registration approved by the Victorian Institute of Teaching; and
* if the person completed an Australian postgraduate level initial teaching programme or course of study on or after 1 January 2024, they must demonstrate that they have satisfactorily completed a postgraduate level accredited initial teacher education programme that has been accredited by an Australian State or Territory Teacher Regulatory Authority as satisfying the requirements of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership "Accreditation of initial teacher education programmes in Australia: Standards and Procedures".
* a person who graduated from a Victorian Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme after 1 July 2016 must also 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 ITE programme completed by the person).
Be careful – don't provide your bank or credit card details when applying for jobs. Don't transfer any money or complete suspicious online surveys. If you see something suspicious, report this job ad.
#J-18808-Ljbffr