Assistant Principal Special Education - Barwon Learning Centre

Barwon Learning Centre supports students with Intensive Learning Support (Behaviour & Mental Health) and currently have 7 permanent enrolments and 14 shared enrolments, all of whom identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Our school provides a safe, structured and inclusive learning environment where every student is recognised and supported to achieve their full potential. Our staff are caring, empathetic and are highly skilled to help students feel safe, confident and connected to their learning in a supportive, culturally rich environment.

Our purpose is to provide meaningful educational experiences for students. We offer trauma-informed individualised support tailored to the unique needs of each student. We prioritise understanding student behaviours as expressions of unmet needs. We recognise that safe, respectful relationships and meaningful cultural connections are fundamental to student success. We work closely with families to create a culturally safe and supportive environment where students, families, and staff feel valued. Through a holistic approach, we collaborate with families to uphold our core values of being safe, respectful and responsible learners. We celebrate diversity and strive to meet the needs of each student. Our focus on re-engagement, resilience, autonomy, restorative practice, and adaptive life skills, empowers students to navigate challenges with confidence.

Through a strength-based interest-led approach to teaching and learning, with a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy, we equip students with essential lifelong skills. We embrace explicit teaching, alternative learning methods and post-school pathways, recognising that education extends beyond traditional classroom settings.

Barwon Learning Centre supports students with Intensive Learning Support (Behaviour & Mental Health) and currently have 7 permanent enrolments and 14 shared enrolments, all of whom identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Our school provides a safe, structured and inclusive learning environment where every student is recognised and supported to achieve their full potential. Our staff are caring, empathetic and are highly skilled to help students feel safe, confident and connected to their learning in a supportive, culturally rich environment.

Our purpose is to provide meaningful educational experiences for students. We offer trauma-informed individualised support tailored to the unique needs of each student. We prioritise understanding student behaviours as expressions of unmet needs. We recognise that safe, respectful relationships and meaningful cultural connections are fundamental to student success. We work closely with families to create a culturally safe and supportive environment where students, families, and staff feel valued. Through a holistic approach, we collaborate with families to uphold our core values of being safe, respectful and responsible learners. We celebrate diversity and strive to meet the needs of each student. Our focus on re-engagement, resilience, autonomy, restorative practice, and adaptive life skills, empowers students to navigate challenges with confidence.

Through a strength-based interest-led approach to teaching and learning, with a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy, we equip students with essential lifelong skills. We embrace explicit teaching, alternative learning methods and post-school pathways, recognising that education extends beyond traditional classroom settings.

In addition to the general selection criteria,

1. Approval and/or experience to teach in a special education setting.

2. Demonstrated capacity to use student assessment, data and individual learning goals to inform teaching and lead professional learning to drive curriculum change and cater for students with diverse learning and complex needs.

3. Demonstrated explicit teaching practice, with strong, adaptable classroom management skills and ability to develop positive classroom relationships to inspire, mentor and lead teachers with a range of experience.

4. Demonstrated capacity to lead positive, proactive and evidence informed approaches to student behaviour, regulation, wellbeing, including supporting staff to respond to complex student needs in a culturally safe environment.

In addition to the general selection criteria,

1. Approval and/or experience to teach in a special education setting.

2. Demonstrated capacity to use student assessment, data and individual learning goals to inform teaching and lead professional learning to drive curriculum change and cater for students with diverse learning and complex needs.

3. Demonstrated explicit teaching practice, with strong, adaptable classroom management skills and ability to develop positive classroom relationships to inspire, mentor and lead teachers with a range of experience.

4. Demonstrated capacity to lead positive, proactive and evidence informed approaches to student behaviour, regulation, wellbeing, including supporting staff to respond to complex student needs in a culturally safe environment.

1. Successful teaching experience with capacity to initiate improvement in teaching, learning and classroom practice
2. Knowledge of curriculum, assessment and student welfare with the ability to lead and design quality, inclusive teaching and learning programs
3. Educational leadership skills to build the capacity and manage the performance of individuals and teams
4. Well developed communication and interpersonal skills with the capacity to build relationships and engage students, staff and parents
5. Ability to plan and manage resources effectively and equitably to support teaching and learning
6. Knowledge of and commitment to the Department's Aboriginal education policy

1. Successful teaching experience with capacity to initiate improvement in teaching, learning and classroom practice
2. Knowledge of curriculum, assessment and student welfare with the ability to lead and design quality, inclusive teaching and learning programs
3. Educational leadership skills to build the capacity and manage the performance of individuals and teams
4. Well developed communication and interpersonal skills with the capacity to build relationships and engage students, staff and parents
5. Ability to plan and manage resources effectively and equitably to support teaching and learning
6. Knowledge of and commitment to the Department's Aboriginal education policy

An unconditional full approval to teach is a requirement. If you do not hold a full approval to teach with the NSW Department of Education, you are required to commence the application process at the same time as you apply for this teaching opportunity.

An unconditional full approval to teach is a requirement. If you do not hold a full approval to teach with the NSW Department of Education, you are required to commence the application process at the same time as you apply for this teaching opportunity.

Applicants are to include details of their WWCC clearance number as part of this application.

About the NSW Department of Education

The Department of Education is the largest provider of public education in Australia with responsibility for delivering high-quality public education to two-thirds of the NSW student population. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including but not limited to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, people of any age or gender, people from culturally and linguistically diverse groups and/or from the LGBTQIA+ community, veterans, refugees, people with disability, people with sensory differences, and neurodiverse people. If we can make some adjustments to our recruitment/interview process to better help you shine, please reach out to the contact person for this recruitment, details listed above. For more information, visit the NSW Department of Education’s Diversity, equity and inclusion webpage.

Applicants are to include details of their WWCC clearance number as part of this application.

About the NSW Department of Education

The Department of Education is the largest provider of public education in Australia with responsibility for delivering high-quality public education to two-thirds of the NSW student population. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including but not limited to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, people of any age or gender, people from culturally and linguistically diverse groups and/or from the LGBTQIA+ community, veterans, refugees, people with disability, people with sensory differences, and neurodiverse people. If we can make some adjustments to our recruitment/interview process to better help you shine, please reach out to the contact person for this recruitment, details listed above. For more information, visit the NSW Department of Education’s Diversity, equity and inclusion webpage.

Merit selection application guidelines for classroom teachers, executives and principals provide clear advice for applicants and selection panels. The guidelines are available here.

To meet the page limits outlined in the guidelines, all application attachments must be submitted in PDF format. Please note that late applications will not be accepted.

For technical support please contact School Recruitment Support at 1300 863 694.

Merit selection application guidelines for classroom teachers, executives and principals provide clear advice for applicants and selection panels. The guidelines are available here.

To meet the page limits outlined in the guidelines, all application attachments must be submitted in PDF format. Please note that late applications will not be accepted.

For technical support please contact School Recruitment Support at 1300 863 694.