Principal-Range 2

Victorian Government; Greater Shepparton; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Toolamba Primary School in Victoria seeks a capable Principal to lead planning, delivery, evaluation and improvement of education for all students, utilizing resources from the Department and school community.

The successful candidate will balance strong leadership with community relations, ensuring inclusive education for neurodivergent learners and guiding the school council while maintaining safety and high standards.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated capacity to create a shared vision, define and gain acceptance of school goals and set and communicate expectations for effective performance.
• Demonstrated capacity to ensure that the school's human, physical and financial resources are efficiently allocated and managed.
• Demonstrated capacity to create a professional learning community focused on continuous improvement of teaching and learning, supporting staff to achieve high standards and wellbeing.
• Demonstrated capacity to develop positive relationships with students, parents/families and the local community and participate in system-level activities.
• Demonstrated capacity to build trusting relationships within a close-knit rural community, balancing relationships with strong leadership and making difficult decisions in students' best interests.
• The principal role is to lead and manage planning, delivery, evaluation and improvement of education through deployment of Department resources and school community.

Responsibilities

• The principal is accountable for the overall management and development of the school within statewide guidelines and Government policies.
• The principal is executive officer of the school council and must provide advice on educational matters, ensuring decisions are implemented and council support is provided.
• The core accountabilities include delivering a comprehensive education program to all students and establishing and managing financial systems.
• Represent the Department in the school and local community and implement school council decisions.
• Contribute to system-wide activities, including policy and strategic planning and development.
• Involve staff, students and the community in developing, implementing and reviewing school policies and operations.

Job description

Occupation: Principal and assistant principal

Location: Hume - Greater Shepparton

Reference: 1547125

Selection Criteria

(a) Vision and values

Demonstrated capacity to create a shared vision, define and gain acceptance of school goals and set and communicate expectations for effective performance.

(b) Teaching and Learning

(d) Management

Demonstrated capacity to ensure that the school's human, physical and financial resources are efficiently allocated and managed.

(e) Development

Demonstrated capacity to create a professional learning community that is focused on the continuous improvement of teaching and learning, supporting all staff to achieve high standards and commitment to their own learning and wellbeing.

(f)Engagement

Demonstrated capacity to develop positive relationships with students, parents/families and the local community and participate in and contribute to system-level activities.

(g)Community Criterion

Demonstrated capacity to build trusting and respectful relationships within a close-knit rural community, fostering strong partnerships with students, families, staff, and local organisations. The successful candidate will demonstrate the confidence, sound judgement and integrity to balance these important community relationships with strong and effective leadership, including the ability to make and communicate difficult decisions in the best interests of students and the school.
The successful candidate will have a commitment to inclusive education and a proven ability to support the diverse learning, wellbeing, and developmental needs of all students, including neurodivergent learners, ensuring every child is known, valued, and able to achieve their full potential.

Role

The role of the principal is to lead and manage the planning, delivery, evaluation and improvement of the education of all students in a community through the deployment of resources provided by the Department and the school community.

At the same time, the principal, as executive officer of the school council, must ensure that adequate and appropriate advice is provided to the council on educational and other matters, that the decisions of the council are implemented and that adequate support and resources are provided for the conduct of council meetings.

Responsibilities

The principal is accountable for the overall management and development of the school within statewide guidelines and Government policies. A clear set of accountabilities, which distinguish their work from other members of the Teaching Service and the education community are set out in detail in the contract of employment.

The core accountabilities of all principals are to:

• ensure the delivery of a comprehensive education program to all students
• be executive officer of the school council.
• establish and manage financial systems in accordance with the Department and school council requirements.
• represent the Department in the school and the local community.
• implement decisions of the school council.
• contribute to system-wide activities, including policy and strategic planning and development.
• manage and integrate the resources available to the school.
• appropriately involve staff, students and the community in the development, implementation and review of school policies, programs and operations.
• report to the Department, school community, parents and students on the achievements of the school and of individual students as appropriate.

Who May Apply

Appropriately qualified individuals currently registered or eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching.

Diversity and Inclusion

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 [e-mail]

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.

Child Safe Standards

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:

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:

• 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.

To be eligible for employment, transfer or promotion in the principal or teacher class:

• The person must have provisional or full registration approved by the Victorian Institute of Teaching; and
• if the person completed an Australian postgraduate level initial teaching program or course of study on or after 1 January 2024, they must demonstrate that they have satisfactorily completed a postgraduate level accredited initial teacher education program that has been accredited by an Australian State or Territory Teacher Regulatory Authority as satisfying the requirements of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership 'Accreditation of initial teacher education programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures'; and
• a person who graduated from a Victorian Initial Teacher Education (ITE) program after 1 July 2016 must also demonstrate that they have passed the literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education (LANTITE) requirements (this condition is satisfied where the LANTITE requirement is part of the Victorian ITE program completed by the person).

To be eligible for appointment as a principal a person must either:

• Be a substantive Principal of a registered school in Victoria; or
• Have a statement of readiness following completion of the Victorian Aspiring Principal Assessment.

Location Profile

Toolamba Primary School (121 pupils) is a small close-knit semi-rural community located in the township of Toolamba 17 kilometres south of Shepparton on the western side of the Goulburn River. Pupils come from the town and from outlying country areas on two school buses.

Toolamba Primary School is a learning community which is dedicated to catering for the individual needs of all children and to providing an education which will encourage them to reach their potential.

Our vision of "Striving for Excellence" ensures that we are dedicated to catering for the individual needs of all children -- educationally, physically, socially, and emotionally. We strive to provide an education for all children that will encourage them to reach their potential. We value the unique worth of everyone.

Applications close Thursday 29 October 2026 at 11.59pm