Department of Education - Victoria

Princes Hill Primary School is located in the City of Yarra in the North-Western suburbs of Melbourne, approximately four kilometres from the Melbourne Central Business District, with a capped enrolment of 450 children. The school was founded in 1889. Princes Hill has a vibrant and inclusive community and the school's culture of respect and care for others fosters a cooperative environment. The school is developing as a strong community through meaningful and authentic collaboration; this enables the children to shape the present and the future of their community.  The school¿s intent is to nurture the desire to continue to learn throughout life and foster the capacity to exercise judgement and responsibility in matters of morality, ethics and social justice by all members of the school community. Supporting our purpose are three core values: respect, learning and a sense of community. The school offers a range of programs and structures designed to facilitate student learning, engagement and social responsibility.  Children as participants in the 21st century need to understand themselves as learners, learn to work collaboratively, engage in new technologies, learn how to access new skills and knowledge and develop the skills of thinking creatively, laterally and critically. The school's beliefs about learning, pedagogical practice, organisations structures and the physical environment reflect these core principles.

In 2022 the school community reviewed the school's practices and procedures and outlined a 2021-2025 strategic plan to further develop the vision for the school. The vision is implemented through principles of learning which are continually reviewed and developed each year. The current principles are:

Children are active, important members of a variety of communities e.g. family, school, ethnic cultures, multi-media and friendship groups, their understanding of the world develops through these social and cultural interactions

• We develop motives to learn through positioning ourselves within social situations
• We learn through the unity of emotions and intellect
• We learn through critical engagement in complex, purposeful contexts where relevant connections are made to our world
• We learn through consciousness of thought where we reconfigure pre-existing understandings and concepts
• We learn through active participation, the many forms of expression

New pedagogical practices are continually evolving to enact these principles through inquiry led research projects which incorporate the Victorian Curriculum.  The approach focuses on targeted teaching and learning, individual and small group conferencing, workshops with a focus on provoking thinking and projects and provocations to enact the learning.  All aspects of organisation have been reviewed including grouping of staff and students, curriculum content, time management and parent involvement.  Children and their team of teachers create a community of learners within a neighbourhood. Parents are active participants in all aspects of the school involved in committees, mentoring children using their areas of expertise such as Artist in Residence Programs and active participants in learning neighbourhoods. Children, parents and teachers are continually involved in active research, developing the evolving vision and practices of the school.  The intent is to create an organisation which responds to the curiosity and drive to understand by all the participants. This is a democratic and collaborative process in which the roles of all the participants are transformed, fluid and interchangeable. Curriculum is focused on exploring Big Ideas relevant to the community. Projects begin by exploring the communities, pre-existing understandings, sharing experiences to provoke new possibilities, determining and enacting a research project and sharing findings with the community. Documentation of projects in progress and completed projects is key to making the learning visible to all members of the community. The new and refurbished physical environments are designed to reflect and support the school's principles and practices.

SC1    Demonstrated knowledge of the relevant curriculum, including the capacity to incorporate the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills. Demonstrated capacity to respond to student learning needs.

SC2    Demonstrated capacity to implement high impact teaching strategies, guided by how students learn, and evaluate the impact of learning and teaching programs on student learning growth. 

SC3    Demonstrated capacity to monitor and assess student learning. Demonstrated capacity to use data to inform teaching practice and to provide feedback on student learning growth and achievement to students and parents.

SC4    Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills. Demonstrated capacity to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with students, parents, colleagues and the broader school community to support student learning, wellbeing and engagement.    

SC5    Demonstrated behaviours and attitudes consistent with Department values. Demonstrated capacity to reflect upon practice and engage in professional learning to continually improve the quality of teaching. 

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.

Core responsibilities include:

• Planning and implementing a range of teaching programs or courses of study
• Teaching an area of the curriculum or a general curriculum to a year level
• Monitoring, evaluating and reporting student progress in key learning areas
• Implementing strategies to achieve targets related to student learning outcomes
• Maintaining records of class attendance and recording student progress
• Implementing effective student management consistent with the school charter.
• Working with a mentor to participate in professional development planning, implementation and reflection developing a professional portfolio

Additional responsibilities may include but are not limited to:

• Supervising a range of student activities including support and welfare programs
• Contributing to a range of co-curricular programs

To be eligible to apply for a position advertised through the Teacher Graduate Recruitment program, a teacher must: 

• have completed their course requirements and graduated in the last 4 years, and
• not be employed as a teacher by the department at the time the advertised position is to commence

Applicants must also be currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching.