Preston High School is a co-educational secondary school that opened its doors to the first intake of Year 7s in 2019 and will grow to approximately 1,400 students by 2027.
Housed in a newly refurbished 1920s 2-storey red-brick school building alongside a new Stadium, Theatre and Arts centre, as well as a 4-storey vertical building, Preston High School is located in the heart of Preston and adjacent to the Preston Town Hall, Library, Market, High St and all Public Transport. The schools designated neighbourhood boundary encompasses parts of Preston, Thornbury, and Reservoir.
The school¿s mission is Empowering Tomorrows Leaders.
The school¿s motto is Lead, Explore, Inspire.
The school¿s values are Excellence, Inclusion, Community.
These statements exemplify the school¿s commitment to the highest aspirations for our learners, staff and school. The curriculum prepares learners for a life of success and positive community engagement in the mid-21stC by providing excellent teaching and learning in foundational disciplines alongside deep engagement in meaningful and extending projects that deliver cross-disciplinary learning opportunities. The Year 7 and 8 program includes the explicit teaching of Philosophy and of Engineering/Design Thinking as two key elements for learners¿ future success. All students learn to lead, explore areas of passion and interest and undertake work that inspires them and their community.
- Demonstrated ability to work with and lead within a multi-disciplinary team environment.
- Understanding of the common approaches, policies, programs and research relating to student wellbeing and students with individual learning needs.
- Ability to facilitate and collectively implement programs and procedures that address the social, emotional and learning needs of students within the school community.
- Ability to provide confidential, tailored and appropriate individual wellbeing and learning support to students, and staff including one-on-one and small group counselling and referral to external agencies as required.
- Demonstrated high-level written and verbal communication skills, and high-level interpersonal skills including the capacity to construct positive relationships with staff, external agencies and parents as required.
- Demonstrated commitment to professional learning and growth for both self and others
Range 3 is distinguished by the introduction of management responsibility and accountability for the delivery of professional support services. The role will usually impact beyond the work area or professional field. It seeks to gain cooperation of other staff members or members of the school community to achieve specific objectives, such as in school administration, operations or educational programs.
Direction on targets and goals is provided but the position will have some degree of latitude in determining how they are achieved. This latitude will generally be limited by standard procedures and school policy. Deviation from standard procedures and school policy will require guidance and direction from senior management.
The provision of business management responsibilities becomes a feature at range 3. Management of staff to achieve the expected outcomes is a key responsibility. Staff management issues will be resolved with minimal reference to senior management, although guidance will be required in more complex cases. Senior management will be provided with timely reports and advice, although this will generally be confined to matters relating to the immediate work area, service provision or educational program and is unlikely to impact substantially on whole of school operations.
This is the minimum range for positions that carry a mandatory qualification requirement of not less than four years. Professional student support positions become a feature at range 3 (e.g. therapists, psychologists) where standard professional services are delivered. Professional support and guidance will be close at hand and deviation from standard procedures and school policy will require guidance and direction from senior management.
An education support class position supports the educational services being provided to students, but must not include duties of teaching as defined in clause 2.6.1 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) or its successor. Supervision of students cannot be required except where it is an integral part of the employee's position or involves supervision of students individually or in small groups, in controlled circumstances, where the responsibility for students remains clearly with a teacher.
The Student Counsellor will play a vital role in supporting the wellbeing and engagement of our students. Working closely with the Assistant Principal of Wellbeing, Student Wellbeing Coordinator and the Leadership team, the Counsellor will provide confidential support, guidance, and intervention services. This position offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of young people.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide individual counselling to students
- Attend wellbeing allocation meetings and contribute to case management.
- Provide high-quality case management and support to students including the creation and maintenance of confidential case notes.
- Document plans for students with consideration to wellbeing and safety strategies.
- Communicate with staff regarding student wellbeing, health, and safety concerns in a timely manner.
- Collaborate with staff, families, and external agencies to ensure a holistic approach to student wellbeing.
- Deliver engagement programs to support and promote the wellbeing program.
- Work alongside student leaders to promote whole school wellbeing days.
- Providing advice and professional learning to others, including teachers and other school wellbeing staff
- Liaising with other department areas (including secondary school nurses and Student Support Services staff) and external service providers where necessary to provide appropriate support to students.
- Meeting relevant policies and legislative requirements in relation to student health information, privacy and consent.
- Comply with OH&S requirements and maintain a safe and healthy workplace for self and others.
- Fulfil other duties assigned by the principal or delegate within the relevant ES dimensions of work.
Skills and Attributes
- Outstanding interpersonal, communication, and organisational skills.
- Strong ability to work autonomously and collaboratively within a fast-paced environment.
- Commitment to child safety and a thorough understanding of child protection policies.
Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and manage sensitive information appropriately including sharing information with relevant staff to support their duty of care and performance of their responsibilities, or with agencies under the CISS* and FVISS*, or with families where appropriate.
- A positive, proactive, and empathetic approach to supporting students.
Individuals with the aptitude, experience and/or qualifications to fulfill the specific requirements of the position.
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.
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
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
Qualifications and Requirements
- Relevant qualification in Counselling, Psychology, Social Work, or related field.
- Experience administering psychological assessments (for qualified Psychologists only).
- Candidates will be appropriately qualified in Counselling, Psychology, Social Work or similar with experience preferably in an education setting or working with young people who have experienced barriers to learning.
Applications must include
A specific response to the key selection criteria and position details. Preferably no more than one criterion per page, size 11 Arial (or equivalent) font where possible.
Please attach applications including:
1. A cover sheet providing contact information including home address, email and phone number as well as the phone number of the work address at which the applicant can be contacted.
2. A CV with a summary of experience and qualifications.
3. Specific Key Selection Criteria response
4. The names, email addresses and contact details for three referees who can provide information regarding the applicant in relation to the key selection criteria.
For ease of handling by the school, all documents (cover letter, CV and key selection criteria responses) can be saved as one pdf and uploaded to School Jobs. Please also ensure that your name is included in the header of each document.
- 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
