Educational Support Staff

**Position**: Educational Support Staff

**Accountable to**: Secondary Learning Support Leader

Deputy Principal - Head of Secondary (overall)

**Major Relationships**: Learning Support Staff

**Time Fraction**: Casual. To commence in Term 2, 2023.

**Application Information**:
Applicants are invited to provide a concise curriculum vitae including personal details, church involvement, career experience, academic attainments and addressing the criteria listed in this Position Description under Essential Duties and Responsibilities.

**Donvale Christian College**:
Donvale Christian College is located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne having opened in 1975. The current enrolment is over 1500 students from Prep to Year 12 and the total number of employees is approximately 300.

Donvale Christian College is governed, as provided for in its Constitution, by the College Board. The Board are elected by the members of the College. The full range of Christian denominations is represented in the parent body of the College. There is no position on the Board elected or appointed by any single church community. The Board is totally elected by the membership of Donvale Christian College Ltd. The Executive Principal is appointed by the Board and together they appoint staff.

Staff members are expected to actively support the Christian aims of the College and to be members of a Bible based worship community.

**Role**

The role of Educational Support Staff is to provide learning support to students in the secondary school.

**College requirements**

All staff are required to:

- Perform their responsibilities in a manner which reflects the College’s mission, objectives and philosophy. In particular, staff are expected to role model an active Christian faith that will be demonstrated in part by an active involvement in the wider Christian Church.
- Be Christian role models and examples to all people associated with the College.
- Participate in leading College devotions that involve staff and students and attendance at the staff retreat.

**Essential Duties and Responsibilities**

**Selection Criteria**

To ensure that support students have every opportunity to be independent and autonomous learners, it is important that the Educational support staff:

- Encourages and supports students to do as much as they can for themselves.
- Establish a positive rapport with the student, being sensitive and supportive of their relationships with teachers and other students.
- Pass on relevant information to the teachers that may be of assistance in caring for the student.
- Work in ways to ensure that students are not in isolation from peers as much as possible.
- Attend classes as per timetable. Some extracurricular activities may be expected by arrangement with the Secondary Learning Support Leader e.g. camps, excursions etc.
- Supervise a student in other environments where necessary and observe safety and social interaction.
- Under teacher instruction, assist students with options such as:

- Re-enforcing new concepts
- Using alternative methods more suitable to the students learning strengths
- Reading instructions
- Note-taking/scribing
- Assisting during tests
- Collaborating with Learning Support staff to help differentiate tasks as required.
- Assist students with organisation skills where applicable, record keeping, homework etc.
- Offer to prepare work, photocopy, set up activities etc.
- Assist students with physical and mobility issues around toileting, meals etc.
- Attending specialist classes with the student e.g OT, Art, PE, Speech etc.
- Attend Parent Support Meetings or Student Support Group meetings where invited.
- Consult Secondary Learning Support Leader regarding the student’s needs and goals to be established.
- Keep relevant notes on students for evidence
- Attend compulsory College Professional Development e.g. First Aid, Mandatory Reporting, Anaphylaxis where required.
- Attend relevant PDs related to student needs.
- Attend staff functions and events where applicable.
- Educational Support staff are encouraged to see, the Secondary Learning Support Leaders to discuss student progress periodically.
- Other duties as required.

**Desirable Qualifications/Experience**:

- Learning Support qualification
- Working with Children Check is essential.
- Understanding of the role of the Educational support staff in schools and prior experience in this field would be highly desirable.
- Familiar with the Disability Standards for Education.

**College Expectations**:
All staff are expected to:

- Support the College’s guidelines and policies.
- Implement the programs, teaching practices and other activities as decided by the College.
- Perform their responsibilities in a manner which reflects and responds to continuous improvement.
- Contribute to the efficient and effective functioning of their team/s in order to meet organisational objectives. This includes demonstrating appropriate and professional workplace