Assistant Principal - Curriculum Design & Development

About this role

Location Profile References: • Results: We have historically high NAPLAN, Parent Opinion Survey, School Staff Survey and AtoSS (Student Survey) results. Click here to see an infographic. • School Website: https://southmelbourneps.vic.edu.au/ • MySchool: https://www.myschool.edu.au/school/52587 South Melbourne Primary School Context South Melbourne Primary School acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we are located and pay respect to their Elders past and present. We are a high-performing government school with a clear sense of what we're about and how we work. Our school opened at the beginning of 2018 and we have recently been funded to expand to a second campus next door, with construction commencing in 2029. Our results across NAPLAN, the Parent Opinion Survey, School Staff Survey and AtoSS are consistently above state benchmarks, above similar schools and among the highest in the state. We are deliberate about who joins us. Our work is anchored in three values: Character, Community and Learning. Character - Our People Every person who walks through our doors is significant. Kindness and manners are baseline expectations. We maintain a warm, inclusive culture with high, clear expectations. We promote Relaxed Professionalism as our mantra as we strive to have fun but remain sharp as we conduct our work. Staff work in Professional Learning Teams. Feedback is frequent, constructive and expected. Practice is routinely observed and discussed. We explicitly teach habits for success through our Big 10 Essential Habits. Our staff actively practise GEMS - Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Show More Love - in Staff Huddles, meetings and daily interactions. This environment suits professionals who value teamwork, feedback and shared standards. It is unlikely to suit those seeking a highly autonomous or individual classroom model. Community - Our Place We live in the shelter of each other. Our community is diverse and multilingual, and we actively draw on that as a strength. We approach our community as an active partnership. We connect with families through Celebration of Learning Days, Whole School Assemblies and our Compass online portal. Student progress - both academic and social-emotional - is reported to families termly via Student Dashboards. EAL experience is an advantage as many of our students were born overseas and have English as a Second Language. We have partnered with the City of Port Phillip to establish an on-site Kindergarten and OSHClub, providing wrap-around services for our families. Learning - Our Program Literacy and Numeracy are our core priorities. Our teaching is grounded in Cognitive Science and Direct Instruction. We prioritise consistency and have a low-variance, high-fidelity curriculum. Staff use data to plan, teach and evaluate impact. Shared planning reduces duplication and ensures every student benefits from the same quality of teaching. We have a highly structured academic and social-emotional curriculum and work from defined lesson plans developed as a school. Coaching, observation and feedback are embedded, not occasional. Responding positively to feedback with focussed actions is a baseline expectation. Our Specialist Programs provide rich opportunities for students across Music and Performing Arts, Visual Art, Mandarin and Physical Education. What to Expect • Kindness and manners are the cornerstone of success • Practice is visible and open to feedback • Teamwork is non-negotiable • A positive, professional disposition is expected at all times • Clear instructional frameworks and structured collaboration are the norm • You will be coached, and you will be expected to grow We are a school that takes practice seriously. If that aligns with how you want to work, we'd like to hear from you. Selection Criteria Each applicant must address the below selection criteria: KSC1 Educational Leadership Demonstrated capacity to lead whole-school improvement initiatives in curriculum design, pedagogical coherence and instructional practice, working with PLTs to align lesson preparation, content and pedagogy, and using data to inform and escalate priorities. KSC 2 Staff Leadership Demonstrated capacity to build leadership and teaching capacity across the school, including the development of Team Leaders and Program Leaders and their capability to lead teams in delivering content and pedagogy effectively, and to lead curriculum-focused professional learning and change. KSC 3 Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Demonstrated capacity to design, write and refine whole-school curriculum, and to implement and manage assessment and reporting processes to ensure coherence and consistency across the school. KSC 4 Organisational Management Demonstrated capacity to manage the systems, platforms and resources that support curriculum delivery, including oversight of learning programs, assessment platforms and related staffing and scheduling. KSC5 Community Engagement Demonstrated capacity to build effective partnerships with students, parents, staff and the community, to design and refine platforms and practices that give families visibility of student work and progress, and to represent the school's curriculum and learning priorities externally. Role The Assistant Principal - Curriculum Design & Development is a member of the Principal Class team and contributes to whole-school strategic planning, governance and school improvement decision-making. The role provides executive leadership of the school's curriculum, pedagogy and assessment systems, builds the leadership and teaching capacity of staff, and manages the systems and platforms that support curriculum delivery. The role also strengthens family and community engagement with student learning, ensuring all work aligns with the School Strategic Plan and Annual Implementation Plan. Responsibilities GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES The core role of Assistant Principal - Curriculum Design & Development may include but is not limited to: • Providing executive leadership of the school's organisational systems, operational structures and compliance frameworks to ensure the efficient and effective day-to-day functioning of the school • Leading whole-school curriculum design, writing and refinement, and driving improvement initiatives in pedagogical coherence and instructional practice in partnership with the Principal Class team • Working with Professional Learning Teams to align lesson preparation, content and pedagogy across the school, and using data to inform, monitor and escalate curriculum and instructional priorities • Leading and coordinating workforce planning processes, including timetabling, subject and role allocation, and staffing structures that support the effective delivery of curriculum and learning programs • Building the leadership and teaching capacity of staff ¿ including the development of Team Leaders and Program Leaders ¿ to lead teams in delivering content and pedagogy effectively, and to lead curriculum-focused professional learning and change • Implementing and managing assessment and reporting processes, including oversight of assessment platforms and learning program systems, to ensure coherence and consistency across the school • Overseeing data systems, compliance requirements and reporting processes to ensure they effectively support curriculum, assessment and reporting priorities across the school • Managing school-wide resource allocation, risk management processes and major school events in alignment with strategic and operational priorities, including resourcing that supports curriculum delivery • Designing and refining platforms and practices that give families visibility of student work and progress, and representing the school's curriculum and learning priorities in external and community-facing contexts • Coordinating and managing complex community matters, external relationships and whole-school events to maintain and strengthen the school's partnerships with families and the broader community • Participating in and contributing to Principal Class meetings, staff meetings, parent and community forums, and other school governance activities • Implementing effective student management and wellbeing practices consistent with school and Department policies • Monitoring and supporting the implementation of strategies to achieve targets related to student learning outcomes and school improvement goals • Contributing to a culture of continuous improvement through reflective practice, engagement in professional learning and participation in the school's Professional Learning Team structures • Undertaking other leadership and organisational duties as determined by the School Principal Who May Apply Appropriately qualified individuals currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching. 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 [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. 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 Qualification Requirements To be eligible for employment, transfer or promotion in the principal or teacher class: • 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 program 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 program 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 programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures'; and • a person who graduated from a Victorian Initial Teacher Education (ITE) program 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 program completed by the person). Details of qualification requirements as updated from time to time can be found at Recruitment in Schools .