OFFICER SPECIALIST SCHOOL PROFILE

Officer Specialist School is a new purpose built facility servicing the needs of students aged between 5-18, with mild to severe intellectual and associated disabilities in the shires of Cardinia and Casey. The school is built to cater for 272 students. There are 27 classrooms, visual and performance arts spaces, food technology, multipurpose and withdrawal spaces and extensive therapy spaces. Areas for social gathering are also featured.
It is expected that teaching staff will work in teams that include therapists and assistants and be prepared to work with a diverse range of students.
Officer Specialist School aims to create reflective and independent learners for life through a learning community that provides a challenging and secure environment responsive to individual learning needs. We believe that effective learning occurs when outstanding and innovative teaching staff provide a variety of tasks that actively engage students who are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. The expectation is that students will be successful and enthusiastic learners capable of building positive relationships.
Officer Specialist School believes that every child, irrespective of their disability, can and will learn in an environment of dignity and respect. It is the role of the school and its community to build on a child's strengths and talents to ensure that each child reaches their full potential. The school aims to develop students who are able to contribute to, and participate in all aspects of community life in a positive way. Students will develop a wide range of skills to enable them to live enviable lives as independently as possible.
The schools mission is to create reflective and independent learners for life through a learning community that provides a challenging and secure environment responsive to individual learning needs. The expectation is that students will be successful and enthusiastic learners capable of building positive relationships.
Officer Specialist School and wider community has engaged in a comprehensive consultative conversation, to clarify its shared vision for education, appropriate for preparing students with additional learning needs for the future.
The outcomes of the consultative process are encapsulated within five key areas describing our vision:

1. Community
2. Values
3. Environment
4. Learning
5. Technology

Key underpinnings to each of these areas of our vision for the future include:
 

1. Community
Our school will be a family friendly centre of the community. It will be inclusive, valuing the diversity of community members. All members will share responsibility for the development of an inspired, educational community of independent citizens. There will be connections, service to and support from the wider community.

2. Values

We place importance on the need to be:

* Respectful, welcoming and supportive of all community members
* Open to facing the future with courage and aspiring to an enviable future for all students
* Prepared to celebrate success

3. Environment

Learning will be maximised within a safe environment, where students feel both motivated and empowered as they strive to be the best they can be. Environmental awareness will be promoted across the school community, fostering respect for personal and communal property and our environment
 

4. Learning

Lifelong learning will be fostered for all members of the school community. It will be both collaborative and independent, following individual pathways to the future. Diverse learning styles, interests and abilities will be catered for through flexible teaching styles. Learning will be through participation in engaging, meaningful curriculum incorporating both broad curriculum and relevant life skills. It will promote creative thinking and problem solving and participation.

5. Technology

Technology plays an important role in accessing the curriculum for students with additional learning needs. Augmentative communication devices, switches and individually tailored computer programs provide support for student learning.

PEDAGOGICAL PRINCIPLES

Pedagogical principles identified to support achievement of our vision are:
* The child is at the centre of all learning
* High expectations are held for and by the learning community and all members within it.
* Engagement will be facilitated through promoting thinking, active inquiry and relevant learning.
* Diverse learning styles will be catered for and supported through use of a wide range of teaching strategies and learning technologies
* Relationships are the key foundation to developing effective engagement with all members of the community. Interpersonal relationships and collaboration will be fostered within the school community.

The school philosophy will be enacted through the following structures:
* Community consultation, newsletters and forums
* Staff professional development and induction processes
* Ongoing curriculum development
* Parent and family support structures

The school community has a commitment to ensuring that our students are offered a high quality education enhanced by a caring and supportive environment. Parents and members of the community at large are welcomed to the school, and encouraged to participate in a range of activities and programs. Much emphasis is placed on educational opportunities, inviting the community to be involved to a greater extent in the school, and establishing the school as a focal point of the community. We value our family friendly culture.

SC1 Demonstrated understanding of initiatives in student learning including the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment and Reporting Advice and the capacity to implement curriculum programs consistent with their intent.

SC2 Demonstrated high level classroom teaching skills and the capacity to work with collaboratively colleagues to continually improve teaching and learning.

SC3 Demonstrated ability to monitor and assess student learning data and to use this data to inform teaching for improved student learning.

SC4 Demonstrated high level written and verbal communication skills and high level interpersonal skills including a capacity to develop constructive relationships with students, parents and other staff.

SC5 Demonstrated commitment and capacity to actively contribute to a broad range of school activities and a commitment to ongoing professional learning to enable further development of skills, expertise and teaching capacity.

SC6 Demonstrated high quality teaching skills and knowledge of curriculum to enable the implementation of individual learning plans that assist students with an intellectual disability to achieve positive outcomes.

SC7 Demonstrated knowledge of and an ability to develop and implement effective behaviour management programs for students with challenging behaviours.

The classroom teacher classification comprises two salary ranges- range 1 and range 2. The primary focus of the classroom teacher is on the planning, preparation and teaching of programs to achieve specific student outcomes. The classroom teacher engages in critical reflection and inquiry in order to improve knowledge and skills to effectively engage students and improve their learning.

As the classroom teacher gains experience his or her contribution to the school program beyond the classroom increases. All classroom teachers may be required to undertake other duties in addition to their rostered teaching duties provided the responsibility is appropriate to the salary range, qualifications, training and experience of the teacher.


Classroom teacher Range 2
Range 2 classroom teachers play a significant role in assisting the school to improve student performance and educational outcomes determined by the school strategic plan and state-wide priorities and contributing to the development and implementation of school policies and priorities.

A critical component of this work will focus on increasing the knowledge base of staff within their school about student learning and high quality instruction to assist their school to define quality teacher practice.

Range 2 classroom teachers will be expected to:
- Have the content knowledge and pedagogical practice to meet the diverse needs of all students
- Model exemplary classroom practice and mentor/coach other teachers in the school to engage in critical reflection of their practice and to support staff to expand their capacity
- Provide expert advice about the content, processes and strategies that will shape individual and school professional learning
- Supervise and train one or more student teachers
- Assist staff to use student data to inform teaching approaches that enable targets related to improving student learning outcomes to be achieved.


Classroom teacher Range 1
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.

The role of classroom teacher may include but is not limited to:

- Direct teaching of groups of students and individual students;

- Contributing to the development, implementation and evaluation of a curriculum area or other curriculum program within the school;

- Undertaking other classroom teaching related and organisational duties as determined by the School Principal;

- Participating in activities such as parent/teacher meetings; staff meetings; camps and excursions;

- Undertaking other non-teaching supervisory duties.

Teachers currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching and qualified to teach and/or have demonstrated experience in the curriculum area(s) specified for the position.

The Department values diversity and is committed to workforce diversity and equal opportunity in schools and all education workplaces. The Department recognises that the provision of family friendly, supportive, safe and harassment free workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work, diversity and safety across all schools and Department workplaces.

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 http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/health/protect/Pages/childsafestandards.aspx

- 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

A tour of the school will be conducted on Tuesday, 5th of March at 4.00pm. Bookings are essential. Please contact the office on 5943 2800.

• 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