ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL (Pastoral & Staff) ROLE DESCRIPTION Catholic schools in the Diocese of Lismore are established by the Bishop in the context of local faith communities, to educate and form young people in the faith tradition, offering them experiences of following Jesus in the Catholic community. Catholic schools participate in the church's mission to educate students in discipleship within the Catholic tradition in a quality learning environment. The assistant principal is a key member of the leadership team of a Catholic school. The assistant principal exercises a unique professional relationship of support and loyalty to the leadership of the principal and contributes in a way which shapes and implements the schools' vision that reflects the Catholic character of the school. The assistant principal is directly responsible to the principal for the performance of his/her duties and deputises in the absence of the principal. The assistant principal works closely with the principal to appreciate the complex nature of school leadership and to further enhance their professional learning. The assistant principal contributes to the collaborative decision-making processes and leads in the planning, implementation and evaluation of school goals. The assistant principal is an exemplary teacher who provides an excellent role model for other teachers in their understanding of quality teaching and learning that is holistic and informed by a distinctive Catholic Worldview. The role description for assistant principals in the Diocese of Lismore is drawn from six key accountabilities for leadership: Catholic vision and values leading teaching and learning developing self and others leading improvement, innovation and change leading the management of the school engaging and working with the community. Each key accountability for leadership is exemplified by the various indicators found within the role. Profile for Assistant Principals It is expected that the specific responsibilities of the role are negotiated annually by the principal and the assistant principal in the form of an active role description. These responsibilities will take into account factors such as: the school's Mission Statement and Strategic Plan the school's annual goals Catholic Schools Office requirements the particular talents, strengths and experience of the assistant principal and the schools' leadership team the developmental needs of the assistant principal teaching load/administrative allocation executive structures.
Assistant principals are required to lead and to manage: leadership which develops shared vision, inspires and creates commitment and embraces risk and innovation. management which develops systems, which limit uncertainty, even out differences and improve consistency and predictability in delivering educational services. Assistant principals lead and manage through: vision and values knowledge and understanding personal qualities and social and interpersonal skills. 1. Catholic Vision and Values Assistant principals nurture young people into a community of disciples of Jesus, and bring a Catholic Worldview to all aspects of their delegated responsibilities. Assistant principals in close partnership with the Principal have a key responsibility for: Giving authentic witness to living Catholic discipleship; Modelling commitment to the Church and its teaching; Providing leadership in the Religious Education curriculum; Promoting, encouraging and facilitating opportunities for regular prayer, evangelisation, reflection and celebration as a school community; Assisting in the integration of Catholic values across the curriculum; Encouraging and participating in the liturgical and sacramental life of the school; Collaborating to develop and implement a consistent approach to pastoral care; Encouraging school participation in service to the community; Fostering parish, school and parent partnership. 2. Leading Teaching and Learning (This key accountability would be more closely linked to the Assistant Principal Administration and Curriculum but there would be a negotiated responsibility after a consultative process). Assistant principals create a positive culture of challenge and support, enabling effective teaching that promotes enthusiastic, independent learners, committed to lifelong learning. Ensuring the CLF is integrated into the school's philosophy, policies and curriculum structures; Developing a culture of effective teaching, for leading, designing and managing the quality of teaching and learning; Setting high expectations for the whole school through careful collaborative planning, monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of learning; Encouraging active engagement and a strong student voice; Placing learning at the centre of strategic planning and ensuring there is a diverse and flexible curriculum that is supported by creative, responsive approaches to teaching together with an effective learning environment; Develop educational strategies to secure equity of educational outcomes to enrich the school as a learning environment for its students, families and carers and the wider community;
Provide a consistent and continuous school-wide focus on individual students' achievement through use of relevant data; Celebrate and promote good performance and challenge underperformance at all levels. 3. Developing Self and Others Assistant principals work with and through others to build a professional learning community that is focused on the continuous improvement of teaching and learning. Supporting all staff to achieve high standards and build capacity treating people fairly and with respect; Modelling effective leadership, committed to their ongoing professional development and personal health and well-being in order to manage the complexity of the role; Provide effective planning, allocation, support and evaluation of work undertaken by others, ensuring clear delegation of and accountability for tasks and responsibilities; Develop and maintain effective strategies and procedures for staff induction and professional learning; Managing the teacher accreditation process through the AITSL framework; Set personal goals and take responsibility for Cycles of Improvement; Foster trust and release creativity by developing leadership in others, building teams and working co-operatively to achieve school goals. 4. Leading Improvement, Innovation and Change Assistant principals work with others to produce and implement clear, evidencebased improvement plans and policies for the development of the school and its facilities. Assistant principals in close partnership with the principal have a key responsibility for: Leading and managing innovation and change to ensure the vision and school improvement plan is put into action across the school; Working with the school community to promote and sustain school improvement informed by school effectiveness research; Taking a strategic role in the development and implementation of new and emerging technologies to enhance and extend teaching and learning experiences; Ensuring the vision for the school is shared, clearly understood and acted upon effectively by all; Using appropriate leadership styles sensitive to the stage, growth and development of the school. 5. Leading the Management of the School (This key accountability would be more closely linked to the Assistant Principal Administration and Curriculum but there would be a negotiated responsibility after a consultative process). Assistant principals use a range of data management methods and technologies to ensure that the school's resources and staff are efficiently organised and managed to provide an effective and safe learning environment.
Delegating tasks to members of the staff and the monitoring of accountabilities Setting and reinforcing high expectations of student behaviour; Managing available resources to support effective learning and teaching; Ensuring due process in facilitating the implementation of and compliance with government legislation and school and system policy and procedures e.g. attendance, WHS, compliance audits; Monitoring and evaluating the deployment of people and resources to support the implementation of school policies and school improvement plans within agreed budgets; Exercising a significant role in the effective daily administration of the school. 6. Engaging and Working with the Community Assistant principals embrace inclusion and help build a culture of high expectations that takes account of the richness and diversity of the school's wider community and the education systems and sectors. Creating an ethos of respect taking account of the spiritual, intellectual, cultural, moral, social, health and wellbeing of students; Developing and maintaining positive partnerships with students, families and carers, and all those associated with the school's parish and broader community; Promoting sound lifelong learning; Fostering, understanding and reconciling with Indigenous cultures; Recognising and using the rich and diverse linguistic and cultural resources in the school community; Recognising and supporting the needs of students, families and carers from communities facing complex challenges; Developing strategies to ensure educational opportunity including countering discrimination and the impact of disadvantage; Engaging with families and carers, and partner, where appropriate, with community groups, agencies and individuals, businesses or other organisations to enhance and enrich the school and its value to the broader community; Actively seeking feedback from families and carers and the broader community about the quality of learning and their ambition for education; Co-operating and work with relevant agencies to protect and support children and young people; Modelling and implementing effective conflict management strategies. 7. Pastoral and Staff Support: Supporting staff in the development of the College as an academic institution of the highest quality Working with other members of the College Leadership Team to develop and implement a comprehensive professional development plan for staff Encouraging a climate of excellence that fosters team leadership, teamwork, trust, openness, mutual respect and co operative problem solving Developing the Human Resource function of the College to meet College needs in line with College strategy, and in compliance with all statutory requirements, policy and procedures Assisting other members of the College Leadership Team, to assess staff requirements effectively Ensuring that all appropriate employee data is compiled in accordance with statutory requirements
Developing and implementing effective procedures for the induction of staff to the College and for Performance Appraisal where applicable Ensuring that comprehensive personnel files are maintained and that an effective Human Resource Information System is developed and maintained Ensuring that procedures are in place to regularly affirm, praise and encourage staff Monitoring staff attrition and reasons for leaving Providing a receptive environment for staff members who wish to discuss aspects of their working conditions, and to assist them to access appropriate counselling where necessary Providing other members of the College Leadership Team and coordinators with appropriate communication in regard to staff management issues Assisting the College Leadership Team with the planning of staff professional development, general training plans and the development of skills inventories Providing appropriate information and/or advice to staff in regard to opportunities for their own professional improvement and career alternatives, and to support them in their search for new challenges Ensuring that the College complies with regulatory requirements in regard to the provision of a safe workplace and a professional work environment and that the College develops and implements appropriate Workplace Health and Safety Policy and Procedures. Support the Principal and the other members of the College Leadership Team, the Assistant Principal Administration and Curriculum by: Working closely with staff members to enable them to apply their strengths, gifts and talents to enhance the College Supporting the College s capacity and willingness to respond to those in need Facilitating the development of a College community culture that promotes the vision, beliefs and values of the College Working in collaboration with the Leadership Team to ensure that the College approach to Pastoral Care is appropriately applied in all aspects of practice in the College Ensuring that regular opportunities are in place for staff to communicate effectively with the College Leadership Team and that staff are regularly informed of College Policies, Procedures and operational issues that affect them Communicating effectively with all staff