Introduction:
This position is for a Term 1 2027 Start
St Philip’s Christian College is a rapidly growing network of learning communities continuing its journey to deliver holistic Christian education that develops the whole child - emotionally, intellectually, socially, physically, and spiritually.
Our team thrives on fostering strong working relationships that continue to encourage innovative and effective change, benefiting both students and staff while staying true to the College’s core values:
Christ first
Serve one another
Strive for excellence
Do what is right
Build community
For over four decades, we have been trusted leaders in education, pioneering new approaches and educational opportunities across the Newcastle, Hunter, and Central Coast regions. We invite you to join us as we continue to explore and create better ways to educate, grounded in Christian values for the whole of life.
Description:
The Head of School is a key Executive leadership position within the College, responsible for guiding the strategic and operational direction of their respective school divisions. They will lead with a Christ-centred focus, drive innovation, and foster a strong, values-driven school culture.
What will you be doing?
1. STRATEGIC DIRECTION
Christian Culture
- Uphold and promote the mission, vision, core values, and educational philosophy of the College.
- Model Christian character and moral behaviour that explicitly supports and reflects the Christian beliefs and values of the College.
- Provide spiritual leadership and direction for the College, leading a Christ-centred work environment.
- Demonstrate an exemplary understanding of the role and purpose of Christian education within the context of the College.
- Collaborate with staff to ensure delivery of a high-quality, Christ-centred educational experience for all students.
- Collaborate with the Head of Christian Education to develop a systemic approach to delivering Christian Studies and embedding a Christian approach across all KLAs.
- Collaborate with the Chaplaincy Team Leader to further develop opportunities for our community to grow in its love for Jesus.
Vision
- Articulate and promote the College vision to key stakeholders.
- Lead the planning, implementation and evaluation of the School Improvement Plan in partnership with staff and key stakeholders
School Culture
- Create and contribute to a positive, inclusive and productive school environment where staff, students and families feel valued and respected.
- Lead and build a cohesive culture that promotes the College mission, values, and purpose.
Research and Innovation
- Maintain an awareness of current innovations and trends in education and school management.
- Lead and support change and innovation according to the College Vision and established goals from the School Improvement Plan.
2. OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT
Governance, Risk & Compliance
- Collaborate with Principal and key stakeholders to ensure compliance with relevant legislation, regulatory requirements, College policies and governance frameworks.
- Oversee risk management, WHS processes and emergency management procedures relevant for the Senior School.
- Respond appropriately to emerging risks and critical incidents in partnership with relevant staff.
Student Attendance
- Ensure attendance policies, guidelines and procedures are followed.
- Ensure procedures in approving student leave are followed.
- Meet with students and their families to discuss School Improvement and Attendance Plans when necessary.
Operations
- Ensure operational decision-making processes are embedded through appropriate structures, reporting lines and delegated authorities.
- Collaborate with relevant staff to review and create organisational plans and procedures.
- Collaborate in the development of the ELT Planning Calendar, College Calendar and Staff/Event rosters where appropriate.
Transport
- Collaborate with relevant staff to make sure effective procedures are in place the ensure the safety of students on buses and at Parent Pick Up.
Timetable/Loadings
- Oversee preparation of subject selection in consultation with the College Principal.
- Collaborate with College Principal on staff loading and allocation.
Enrolments
- Ensure the College Enrolment policies and procedures are followed.
- Liaise with key staff involved in the enrolment process and conduct Enrolment Interviews.
- Monitor enrolment targets and statistics.
- Collaborate with the Community Relations Officer to oversee student enrolments and recruitment drives.
Budgets
- Liaise with relevant staff in setting and maintain budgets.
- Oversee allocated budget area/s and ensure budget is not exceeded.
Information Technology
- Manage the provision of IT services, both academical and administrative, to ensure that accurate, reliable, effective and efficient resources and support are provided to staff and students.
- Oversee the leadership of effective use and implementation of IT to enhance student learning and staff productivity.
Resources and Property
- Seek recommendations from relevant staff for improvement of facilities, providing insight and decision making.
- Ensure that all areas of the College are adequately resourced and maintained.
- Assist in the design and development of building projects as required.
Human Resources
- Foster a positive workplace culture where staff feel valued, supported and respected.
- Provide staff with appropriate information about the College’s expectations of staff as it relates to professional standards and Staff Code of Conduct. Oversee the development of Job Descriptions, Responsibilities Overviews and ARCI charts.
- Collaborate in staff recruitment and selection, onboarding and offboarding where appropriate.
- Collaborate with appropriate staff to ensure staff induction, staff leave, staff preferences, performance management and staff related processes are followed – including assisting in resolution and mediation of workplace difficulties where appropriate.
- Facilitate the resolution of staff matters, serious issues or complaints, following policies and procedures.
Staff Wellbeing
- Collaborate with relevant staff regarding wellbeing opportunities and programs to improve staff wellbeing.
- Support relevant staff with the management of and response to serious wellbeing issues.
- Coach and mentor staff through personal wellbeing issues where appropriate
Leadership Development, Staff Training and Professional Development
- Foster the development of the College Leadership team in collaboration with the Executive Leadership Team.
- Lead and foster a culture of professional learning and leadership development.
- Facilitate and present at events, leadership meetings and other occasions as required or determined by the College Principal or Deputy Principal.
- Promote and be actively involved in coaching and mentoring senior leaders.
- Contribute to the provision of quality feedback and professional planning.
- Collaborate in the implementation of the Professional Development Policy and Procedures, ensuring they are followed.
- Collaborate with key staff in leading and developing a culture of professional learning to enhance the capacity, competence and capability of staff.
- Work in collaboration with ELT to set the professional development priorities for the College each year.
- Oversee the Professional Learning Program (goal setting) for the Senior School Staff.
- Work in collaboration with the Coaching Coordinator to pair coaches with ‘coachees’ and discuss coaching plans and procedures.
- Collaborate with key stakeholders in the design and facilitation of Teaching and Learning meetings.
- Approve professional development for staff from external providers in collaboration with Executive staff as required.
- Regularly engage in professional development courses to provide opportunities for continued growth.
- Actively engage with educational associations, professional networks and organisations for continued growth, keeping up to date with current educational thoughts, trends and practices.
Teacher Accreditation
- Collaborate with the Director of Professional Practice to develop and implement and accreditation support program for staff progressing to Proficient Teacher.
Governance and Compliance
- Manage Child Protection matters in accordance with the Child Protection policies and procedures.
3. EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE
Teaching and Learning
- Promote a culture of high expectations to ensure quality teaching and learning across the College.
- Liaise with relevant staff regarding the collection, analysis and use of data.
- Liaise with relevant staff about curriculum development, ensuring the College is compliant with relevant educational standards and authorities.
- Set educational focus and teaching and learning priorities (with ELT and EET) to ensure cohesive educational flow across the College.
- Oversee the implementation of strategic plan within Senior School that leads to best possible outcomes for students.
- Oversee the leadership of pedagogy across the College, leading change and implementing initiatives.
- Oversee the implementation and resourcing of the Learning Framework.
- Collaborate with the Director of Learning Support to ensure the needs of students with additional needs are met.
- Collaborate with the Director of High Potential Gifted Education to ensure the needs of HPGE students are met.
Curriculum Matters and Compliance
- Oversee the Sub school Curriculum budget.
- Oversee the assessment and reporting processes.
- Oversee curriculum platforms, resources and subscriptions.
- Oversee Teaching and Learning compliance, Policies and Procedures.
- Collaborate with relevant leaders to ensure the preparedness of the College regarding registration and curriculum audits.
- Oversee the Director of Studies to ensure the strategic goals and compliance requirements are met.
- Liaise with the Director of Studies (DoSSS) to ensure effective allocation of day-to-day tasks are provided to the Curriculum Administration Assistants.
- Oversee the ICT Integrator to ensure strategic goals are met.
- Oversee the SmartTrack Coordinator to ensure effective implementation and compliance of the SmartTrack program.
- Oversee the VET Team Leader to ensure effective implementation and compliance of the VET programs.
- Liaise with the Year 12 Study Camp Coordinator (DoSSS) to ensure the camp is well organised and complies with College expectations and procedures.
External Examinations
- Oversee implementation of the HSC, including liaising with the HSC supervisor and NESA.
- Oversee and work with DoSSS and Faculty Team Leaders to prepare HSC RAP analysis, using this to provide improvement focussed feedback and strategy to Stage 6 teachers focussed on teacher professional development, and improved student outcomes.
Behaviour Management
- Oversee the implementation of Behaviour Management Policy and Procedures, ensuring they are followed and collaborate in regular review of the same.
- Liaise with staff regarding students involved in significant behavioural incidents.
- Meet with staff, students and parents of students involved in major behavioural incidents in collaboration with relevant ELT members.
First Nations Education
- Promote a positive culture and vision for First Nations education across the College.
- Increase the profile of First Nations Education across the school – considering the needs of the local community, the indigenous and non-indigenous students at the College.
Student Wellbeing
- Collaborate with the Director of Student Wellbeing to oversee the management and implementation of Wellbeing policies and procedures. Liaise with staff to ensure that students with additional Wellbeing needs are supported.
- Ensure student voice is captured formally and informally to inform decision making.
- Identify common challenges, eg behavioural or health, and working with relevant staff, seek out solutions to improve wellbeing outcomes.
4. COMMUNICATIONS
Communications and Marketing
- Promote a culture that is founded on collaboration and consultation with staff, students and parents.
- Support communication to staff, students and parents that is timely, effective and professional.
- Collaborate with key staff to regularly promote mission, strategy, direction, success and challenges of the College.
- Contribute to marketing materials and promotional activities, such as conducting tours, when required.
- Actively manage parent, stakeholder and community concerns.
- Oversee and be actively involved in resolving complaints in accordance with relevant policies and procedures.
5. COMMUNITY
Community Connection
- Build and maintain positive relationships with families to support student engagement, development and wellbeing.
- Actively engage the parent community.
- Foster positive connections between schools, educational organisations, local and broader community.
- Maintain a strong presence and engagement with all stakeholders at school functions and in the community.
- Be aware of community concerns and respond appropriately.
Events
- Collaborate with relevant staff coordinating College events such as orientation programs for students and other relevant events.
Student Leadership and Service Learning
- With key stakeholders, strategically design student involvement in service-learning activities.
- With key stakeholders, monitor the implementation of the Student Leadership policies and procedures.
- With key stakeholders, oversee the development of Student Leadership programs and activities.
The essentials you’ll need:
- Be passionate about Christian education.
- Be a committed Christian and an active church member.
- Uphold and support the mission, core values, vision, policies and aims of St Philip’s Christian Education.
- A current paid Working With Children Check.
- Current teaching qualification with at least 5 years’ experience including demonstrated leadership experience.
- Represent the College in a positive manner to the wider school community.
- Display discretion, confidentiality, honesty and integrity. Lead by example, with high professional standards, in all aspects of College life.
- Maintain and build upon your professional expertise, by participating in appropriate professional development courses - developing best practice in teaching, student management and procedural matters.
- Demonstrate high level interpersonal skills, accurate and consistent communication skills, effective collaboration, and effective conflict resolution skills and strategies.
- Demonstrate a high level of organisational proficiency, maintaining high standards with a calm and methodical approach.
- Be positive, self-directed, empathetic, enthusiastic and highly motivated, demonstrating adaptability, flexibility, resilience, multi-tasking and capacity to manage work related pressures.
- Work cooperatively and collaboratively as a member of a team.
- Work successfully to build positive, caring relationships with staff, students, parents/carers and the wider community.
- Excellent working knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite of products and a willingness to embrace new technologies.
- Support the health and safety of yourself and others by undertaking duties in a manner that is positive, proactive and sustainable.
- Compliance with workplace policies and procedures for risk identification, risk assessment and risk control.
- Identification and timely reporting of health and safety risks, accidents, incidents, injuries, and property damage at the workplace.
- Correct utilisation of any Personal Protective Equipment.
Note: All SPCC employees are responsible for ensuring the workplace is free from sexual harassment and must not engage in any behaviour that could amount to sexual harassment. They are also committed to a culture that supports and embraces Child Safe Standards and strictly complies with work health safety standards.
Skills and Experiences:
Current teaching qualification with at least 5 years’ experience including demonstrated leadership experience.
