Aboriginal Independent Community Schools (AICS) Strategic Support Officer

This full-time position focuses on working with AICS, in the context of the Alice Springs Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, to support governing bodies and school leaders and as they work together to improve outcomes for the students at their school. To fulfill this role, while based in Perth, there will be extensive travel to Aboriginal Schools in regional and remote Western Australia.

The role will cover two main focus areas: support for governing bodies and schools, and support for the early years in schools. The role will be a flexible one and will be driven by the needs of the schools providing support to them as to how best to use Government funding to make progress in improving student outcomes. To that end, good school governance and strong school leadership are needed to create an educational environment where young people can learn and be safe.

Position responsibilities include:

• Provide ongoing support for school governing bodies and principals to provide community-responsive leadership that supports state and federal public policy directions and the incorporation of these into strategic planning with governing bodies.
• Mentoring teachers and school leaders in the light of key AITSL directions – the teacher standards and the principal standard.
• Work with schools’ governing bodies to identify areas of support needed and assist them with the sourcing of this support – this may be either through AISWA or by brokering external consultants.
• Work with governing bodies and schools to support effective transition to school – this is the space before school commencement, children 0 to 4 years of age. This would entail:
• Familiarity with the 3A - Abecedarian Approach Australia
• Ability to work in partnership with community members to implement the 3A approach in playgroups and creches.
• Enhance the schools’ capacity to support young Aboriginal students in implementing appropriate pedagogy for Kindergarten and Pre-primary teachers.
• Collaborate with AISWA staff to identify and assist with the implementation of a range of support strategies and initiatives, such as the implementation of the Western Australian Curriculum and the Early Years Learning Framework. This may also involve the coordination of visits by AISWA staff to schools and the facilitation of network meetings between schools and AISWA staff.
• Present professional learning and provide support to all members of the school community responsible for young people’s learning.
• Support Aboriginal Teacher Assistants with ongoing training.
• Work with AISWA staff and schools to organise various professional development events.
• Liaise with the Executive Director and Deputy Director and provide advice for the AISWA management team.

Selection criteria include:

• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team and work independently.
• Good understanding of the legislative requirements within which Independent Schools operate.
• Experience working in the area of Aboriginal education and appropriate pedagogies for Aboriginal students.
• The capacity to ensure the delivery of services that attend to the imperatives of public policy (West Australian Curriculum, school registration, AITSL Standards and Frameworks, ACECQA, etc.).
• Strong understanding of the Early Years Learning Framework.
• Experience working with young people in the early years, particularly birth through 6 years of age.
• Sound understanding of planning and assessment in the context of the Western Australian Curriculum.
• Able to work with schools to identify the best ‘AISWA’ support to address their needs and to broker third-party solutions when needed.
• Recent school leadership experience which would entail leading teams of educators and working with school governing bodies.