Assistant Head of Junior School, Pastoral Care

St John's Anglican College; Brisbane; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

St John's Anglican College, Forest Lake QLD, invites applications for the Assistant Head of Junior School, Pastoral Care. Lead a cohesive, child-safe and developmentally responsive approach to wellbeing, behaviour and belonging in a K-6 setting.

Reporting to the Head of Junior School, you will develop and implement pastoral care frameworks, coach staff, coordinate camps and build strong partnerships with families. Commencing Term 1 2027.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership of pastoral care or wellbeing programs in a Junior School.
• Maintains confidentiality and procedural fairness in sensitive matters.
• Strong communication, conflict resolution and family engagement skills.
• Registration with Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) is current or ongoing.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation and review of the Junior School pastoral care framework.
• Promote restorative and educative approaches to behaviour and belonging.
• Coordinate responses and follow-up for complex student wellbeing matters.
• Collaborate with teachers, learning support and counselling to develop student support plans.
• Coach and mentor staff in pastoral care and difficult conversations with families.
• Build constructive partnerships with parents and carers and coordinate clear, respectful communication.
• Coordinate Junior School camps, including planning, staffing, risk management and post-camp review.
• Provide evidence-informed reports on pastoral care outcomes and priorities.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Conflict resolution

Case coordination

Family engagement

Education

Master of Education

Educational Leadership

QCT registration

Job description

Assistant Head of Junior School, Pastoral Care

St John's Anglican College – Forest Lake QLD

Lead a cohesive, child-safe and developmentally responsive approach to pastoral care, student wellbeing, behaviour and belonging in a K-6 Junior School environment.

About St John's Anglican College

St John's Anglican College is the leading Kindergarten to Year 12 coeducational school in south west Brisbane and is an International Baccalaureate World School for the Primary Years Program. St John's Anglican College strives to provide an extraordinary, globally innovative and future-focused education from Kindergarten to Year 12. Our graduates are well educated, respectful, resilient and compassionate; equipped to be people of influence in their communities. Our teachers care about their students and are leaders in learning, focused on providing the best possible educational environment and ensuring that each child's academic potential is maximised. We value and acknowledge the skills, energy and commitment of our employees. Accordingly, we seek to attract, develop and retain staff of the highest calibre and provide a working environment that enables them to maximise their contribution to achieving the College's vision, mission and values.

Your opportunity

Reporting to the Head of Junior School and working closely with the Deputy Principal Pastoral Care, the Assistant Head of Junior School, Pastoral Care will help lead a coherent approach to student wellbeing, belonging, behaviour and pastoral care. This is a leadership role for an experienced educator who can combine strategic thinking with calm, relational and practical support for students, staff and families.

Commencing Term 1 2027, the successful applicant will:

Lead the development, implementation and review of the Junior School pastoral care and student wellbeing framework.

Promote consistent, restorative and educative approaches to behaviour, relationships, attendance, engagement and belonging.

Coordinate timely responses, documentation and follow-up for complex or sensitive student wellbeing and behaviour matters.

Work with teachers, learning support, counselling and other staff to develop and monitor student support plans.

Coach and mentor staff in pastoral care, classroom management, student wellbeing and difficult conversations with families.

Build constructive partnerships with parents and carers and coordinate clear, respectful communication in sensitive matters.

Coordinate Junior School camps, including planning, staffing, communication, risk management, student wellbeing and post-camp review.

Provide evidence informed advice and reporting on pastoral care outcomes, emerging risks and improvement priorities.

About You

The successful candidate will have:

Demonstrated leadership of pastoral care, student wellbeing or behaviour programs, ideally in a Junior School setting.

Sound judgement, confidentiality and procedural fairnes when managing sensitive or complex student matters.

Stong communication, conflict resolution, case coordination and family-engagment skills.

The ability to build staff capability and foster a positive, inclusive and child-safe school culture.

A Master of Education or Educational Leadership is required or being undertaken.

Current Queensland College of Teachers registration and the capacity to maintain registration.

Support for the Anglican ethos and values of the College.

A Junior School (K-6) leadership role focused on the whole child.

The opportunity to shape evidence informed wellbeing, pastoral and behaviour practices.

A collaborative environment committed to child safety, professional growth and continuous improvement.

A values-led community where faith, hope, love, courage, community and justice guide our work.

Child Safety Commitment

St John's Anglican College is committed to promoting the safety, wellbeing and best interests of children and to preventing, detecting and responding to child harm. The College is committed to implementing Queensland's 10 Child Safe Standards and Universal Principle and maintaining environments in which children are physically, emotionally, psychologically and culturally safe.

Your application

Applications close at midnight 15 November 2026.