Inclusion Outreach Coach in Melbourne

Yarraville Special Developmental School (YSDS) is a small, vibrant school with a strong emphasis on building and maintaining positive relationships with families and the wider community. We currently support 100 students aged between 5 and 18 years, all with a diagnosis of moderate to severe intellectual disability. At YSDS, students are at the centre of everything we do. We are committed to providing a safe, stimulating, and flexible learning environment that values the individuality and ability of each student, empowering them to flourish and succeed. Our dedicated teachers, education support staff, and allied health team work collaboratively to create rich learning experiences that foster growth, independence, and wellbeing. Guided by our school vision - Excellence in Learning - we strive to provide a strong foundation for continued learning, supporting every student to grow into a safe, respectful, and responsible citizen.

Selection Criteria

• Demonstrated high level experience in inclusive education practice (teaching and learning), building school staff capability and developing processes for observation and feedback of teacher practice and peer collaboration.
• Demonstrated experience planning, implementing and evaluating evidence-based intervention strategies for students with disabilities and providing feedback to teaching staff to inform their effectiveness and development.
• Demonstrated ability to input into the development, implementation and evaluation of processes and strategies relating to teaching students with disability and diverse learning needs in a range of school settings.
• Demonstrated ability to provide explicit advice to teaching staff to assess and monitor student achievement and learning progress in line with the Victorian curriculum, and support teaching staff with effective strategies to engage with parents and families, including reporting on student progress.
• Highly developed communication, networking and interpersonal skills including the ability to liaise effectively with a wide range of people.
• Ability to provide leadership, professional learning and coaching that informs and influences the work of others involved in the engagement and wellbeing of children and young people.

Role

Inclusion Outreach Coaches are based in specialist schools and partner with mainstream schools for defined periods, to provide coaching support to school leadership and staff aimed at strengthening inclusive practices. Coaches partner with the schools to increase their capability to implement preventative, evidence-based strategies that benefit all students. Together, the coach and school use data to identify a goal to work towards and plan and monitor for improvement and sustainability. Coaches collaborate with Departmental regional team members in a team-based response to the identified need. There is an emphasis on Tier 1 preventative, system change practices. Coaches do not work directly with students or provide individual student support. Coaches will undertake training to support schools in data-based decision making and using a Multi-tiered System of Supports. Coaches use a hybrid delivery model, so travel will be required.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrating high-level expertise in teaching and learning practice and modelling exemplary practice and values in inclusive education, to support the development of an inclusive school culture.
• Delivering high quality, explicit technical advice and coaching support on best-practice for educators to effectively engage students in inclusive classrooms, so that they reach full participation.
• Supporting the school-based leadership team to use whole-school data and establish processes and/or systems to help identify how to make and embed school-wide adjustments to develop a high performing, inclusive school culture that is conducive to delivering inclusive practices.
• Playing a key role in implementing professional learning, including through coaching, and supporting schools to design, implement and monitor interventions delivered through a multi-tiered system of supports framework.
• Modelling effective inclusive education whole school and classroom practices and supporting teachers to seek, analyse and act on feedback on their practice.
• Providing leadership and professional learning to others, such as school leaders and teachers to help ensure quality inclusive practices are provided by schools to improve students’ learning and developmental outcomes.
• Maintaining professional competence and attend ongoing professional learning, including attending professional development coaching activities throughout the year.
• Maintaining active involvement in Inclusion Outreach Coaching Communities of Practice for educator and coaching workforces.
• Collecting and analysing implementation and evaluation data of the Inclusion Outreach Coaching initiative and liaising with the Regional Inclusion Outreach Coordinator to respond to identified needs.

Additional Area Responsibilities

• Using rigorous problem-solving procedures to identify and respond to school and school-based staff need; and coaching others to do so.
• Delivering both inclusion in-reach and outreach models of support to ensure the adoption and effective implementation of inclusive practices across a range of school settings.
• Collecting, analysing and using data effectively to monitor and report the measurable impact of the inclusion in/outreach practices being implemented in collaboration with the Regional Inclusion Outreach Coordinator.
• Partnering and collaborating with other coaches and workforces within the Health, Wellbeing and Inclusion and School Improvement teams in a multidisciplinary approach.
• Maintaining connectedness and capability support within the hiring specialist school (equivalent to one day per week) through: dedicated time to work with specialist school learning specialists and leadership teams coaching educators in specialist school classrooms attending specialist school meetings where appropriate ensuring evidence-based inclusive education practices are embedded within the hiring specialist school.

Who May Apply

Required

• Applicants must currently hold registration or be eligible for registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching and qualified to teach and/or have demonstrated experience in the curriculum area(s) specified for the position.

Desirable

• A graduate or postgraduate qualification in special/inclusive education and/or disability.
• Experience in, or understanding across various school settings.
• Demonstrated experience in inclusive education.
• Demonstrated experience working with students with disabilities and diverse learning needs.

Other Relevant Information

• A current driver's licence is mandatory, and a capacity to access private transport with approved comprehensive insurance cover.
• Successful applicants are subject to a satisfactory criminal record check prior to employment.
• New DE employees are required to meet the cost of the criminal record check.

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.

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.

DE Values

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.