Principal, Telopea Park School

The ACT Education Directorate is responsible for early childhood education and care, and school education in the ACT. The Directorate provides school education services to children and young people both directly through public schools and indirectly through regulation of non-government schools and home education.  Its vision is to be a leading learning organisation where people know they matter. It focusses on creating capable, resilient and active citizens by placing students at the centre, empowering learning professionals, building strong communities, and systems that support learning.
ACT Public Schools value innovative, student focussed leaders who lead school communities that are welcoming, dynamic, inclusive, culturally safe and meet the needs of all students. Successful leaders in the Directorate will be people focussed, have a strong commitment to the wellbeing of staff, students and families, and be capable of leading learning environments where all children and young people experience success, and where every teacher is empowered as an innovative learning professional to deliver high quality, engaging and differentiated learning experiences.
The ACT Public School System is growing at pace with a growing city. It is responding to meet the needs of the dynamic Canberra community through the ACT Government’s Future of Education Strategy to develop students who have the skills and abilities to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
The execution of this ambitious agenda requires dynamic, flexible and innovative leaders who understand the challenges facing contemporary school leaders including the complexity, opportunity and challenges experienced by young people, and can ensure greater student voice and agency with increasingly personalised learning. Successful leaders in the ACT will understand that our people are our greatest resource, that we are a leading learning organisation, where people know they matter and to this end all staff are engaged as learners in quality feedback and professional engagement as part of their daily experience at work. Where all staff understand the impact, they have both individually and collectively on student achievement and feel empowered and supported in their own professional growth and development.
ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Telopea Park School offers students a modern learning environment and promotes an enriching, safe and supportive learning culture. The school caters for Kindergarten to Year 10 students, and promotes the values of respect, cooperation, fairness and honesty in the learning pathways offered to students. It is also a multicultural school with over 70 nationalities represented in the student body.
Telopea Park School/Lycée Franco-Australien de Canberra is an Australian/French binational school. Telopea Park School provides a bilingual program from Kindergarten to year 6. The French secondary school program from Years 7 to 10 leads to the French Brevet in Year 9. The secondary school is an accredited International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme.
In 1983, Lycée Franco-Australien de Canberra was established after the signing of a Treaty between the Governments of France and Australia. This Binational Agreement underpins the operation and governance of the school.
PRINCIPAL PROFILE
The Principal will lead a consistent approach to learning across the school. As the leader of the school’s executive team, the principal will collaboratively develop and lead the strategic direction of the school using a distributive model to build the capabilities and effectiveness of the leadership team and staff. The principal works with the French principal/Proviseur to develop and implement the bilingual program and support teachers to deliver quality teaching in English and French languages.
With students at the centre, strategic priorities include improved numeracy growth, data informed practice, establishing a culture of inquiry and empowering students to be active contributors in their learning. The appointed Principal will work to build the capability of all teachers to collaborate with purpose and to embed a consistent approach to teaching and learning across the school in line with ACT Education Directorate Future of Education strategy.
The new Principal of Telopea Park School will continue to nurture the established strong partnership with the school community and external stakeholders.  Further, the Principal will recognise that teachers and school leaders work in partnership with families, support staff and other professionals to promote equity of opportunity and excellent outcomes for all learners.
For a deeper understanding about the school, examine the school’s Annual Action Plans, Annual School Board Reports, School Review Reports and current School Improvement Plan available on the school website.
KEY DUTIES
The principal will ensure the needs of all students are met in a timely way through the strategic use of resources. With a strong focus on equity and inclusion, you will lead a consistent approach to learning across the school, ensuring there is a quality teacher in every classroom. As the leader of the school’s executive team, you will collaboratively develop and assist in leading the strategic direction of the school using a distributive model to build the capabilities and effectiveness of the leadership and teaching teams. You will also manage the school within legislative requirements and in accordance with system and school board policies. The school is administered within the frameworks of the ACT Education Directorate in accordance with the provisions of the Binational Agreement. The objectives of the Agreement are to promote bilingual education in the English and French languages and to foster cultural understandings.  Providing professional leadership in all aspects of the school’s operations and promote the overall educational welfare of students
Eligibility/Other Requirements: Competency in French language speaking highly desirable and will support the successful candidate to promote the school’s bilingual context for learning and teaching. Prior to commencing in this role a minimum of four years full time (or equivalent) tertiary study leading to the award of a recognized school teaching qualification; a current full teaching registration with the ACT Teacher Quality Institute (TQI) (or eligibility for teacher registration with the ACT TQI) and a current registration issued under the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011 is required. For further information on Working with Vulnerable People registration, please refer to accesscanberra.act.gov.au.
Notes: An order of merit will be established from this selection process and may be used to fill future identical vacancies over the next 12 months. Applicants with specific requirements to enable access to, or participation in, the interview process should inform the contact officer prior to interview.
How to Apply: Interested applicants in leading across ACT Public Schools should provide curriculum vitae (two pages), statement of claims based on the leadership capabilities outlined in the application package (maximum six pages) and contact information for two referees. In your application, we want to learn about the impact your leadership has had on improving outcomes for students, and what makes you the best person for this role.
Applications are encouraged via the ACT Government portal here, or for a confidential discussion, please contact Andrew Norton on 1300 347 437.
Applicants should note that a Joint Selection Committee (JSC) established in accordance with the collective/enterprise agreement provisions will assess all applications for this position.