TEACHING AT LYNDHURST | Lyndhurst Primary

Teaching at Lyndhurst Primary School

Overview

Lyndhurst Primary School is a school located in the Marriott Waters Estate in Lyndhurst. The school

opened for all levels, Prep-6, in 2011. Lyndhurst is a Public/Private Partnership School that lies in the

south-eastern growth corridor, in the City of Casey. The school opened in 2011 with approximately 150

students and rapid growth has occurred in the first few years of its existence. Currently, there are 960

students at the school. Lyndhurst Primary School, like several other schools around the state, is part of a

partnership agreement between the Victorian State Government and Axiom Education, a private

consortium. Whilst Axiom and its partners are responsible for the construction and on-going maintenance

of the school facility, in every other respect, Lyndhurst is a state government primary school. In essence,

the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

(DEECD) lease the property from the private consortium over a 25-year lease period.

Curriculum

The curriculum at Lyndhurst is based on the Victorian Curriculum, which encompasses the Australian Curriculum and is expected of all government schools in Victoria. Our curriculum structure is characterised by the term, “Small Investigations to Deep Inquiry”. Learning is seen as a continuum and it is focused on giving children the skills and abilities to be able to increasingly take control of their own learning and to give them to time to study, learn and think more deeply. The early years program (Prep-2) is based on Kathy Walker’s play-based learning pedagogy. This play-based learning is strongly focused on providing children with a strong foundation of essential literacy and numeracy skills through utilising a child’s natural propensity to learn through play. At the higher levels (years 3-6), children gradually move to an “inquiry-based” curriculum, once again following the work of Kathy Walker. Inquiry based learning is all about building lifelong learners.

THRASS (Teaching Handwriting, Reading and Spelling Skills) and CAFÉ reading (Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and Enhanced Vocabulary), along with Writer's Notebook operate across the school and the implementation of Professional Learning Teams focusing on the effective use of data is a significant piece of work across the school as teachers find themselves in increasingly large teams. There is also much work being done on building the concepts, practice and documentation for learning as a continuum, particularly in the area of Mathematics. Through leadership projects and through work with other local schools, this work is progressing.

The over-arching drivers in our curriculum are personalising learning and increasingly building each child’s capacity to direct, influence and take responsibility for, their own learning.

Student Well-being

Lyndhurst utilises the Kids Matter resources as a means of managing and monitoring the student and community well-being across the school. The approach to dealing with student discipline issues is through Restorative Practices, which is well-embedded across the whole school. At Lyndhurst, teachers talk “with” the children not “to” them and there is a strong sense of personal responsibility from all students. Student leadership and student voice are also significant drivers in the school and this is developing. The concept of children having some control over their learning is supported by a sense that they also have some influence over their learning environment.

A School for the Community

More than the location, the facilities and the resources in a school, it is the people that give a school life and define its character. In an environment in which teachers work in a supportive, respectful workplace, where students are engaged in meaningful and relevant learning tasks in safe and encouraging surroundings and where parents can constructively participate in an inclusive, welcoming school, real education can take place, not only for each child but on a broader community level. Lyndhurst Primary School is a school that includes and embraces its local community. We welcome the contributions that parents and the community make to the education of our children and the facilities and resources of the school are available to the community as a shared resource that benefits all.

The Lyndhurst community is highly diverse from both a cultural and socio-economic standpoint. Currently, approximately 65% of our students list English as their second language with families representing 45 language groups and 50 countries of birth. This rich socio-cultural mix is a significant feature of the school.

A school of three strong cultures

At Lyndhurst, we are building three active cultures that intertwine to create an environment that encourages success in student learning and academic results as well as high-standard student interactions and behaviour.

The first culture is one of high expectations of the students. High expectations by teachers of their students are translated into high expectations of the school by parents. The Lyndhurst community should have high expectations of our school which reflect their high aspirations for their children. This will be a key ingredient in our success as a school. Building an aspirational community engenders a culture of high expectations and high achievement.

The second culture is one of high expectations by teachers of each other. I believe that, to all members of our staff, it means something significant to work at Lyndhurst PS. We strive to engender a community that respects and admires the commitment of the members of staff and this, in turn, builds an environment in which all members of staff feel appreciated and thus more willing to add discretionary effort. In a culture such as this, there is an expectation amongst staff that all will contribute in a significant way to the accomplishments of the school and all will share in the pride of the resulting success.

The third critical culture is one in which students have high expectations of each other. This essential element is crucial in maintaining an orderly learning environment and encouraging high levels of achievement. There is a high standard of behaviour that is not only expected of the students but that students have a right to expect of each other. There are standards of interaction that are respectful and courteous. There will be standards of commitment to their schooling and motivation to learn that will be constantly in evidence.

Lyndhurst is a school that provides support, encouragement and growth opportunities for staff and which is characterized by high student motivation to learn and high teacher motivation to teach and to continue to learn. This is a school in which the whole community can participate and of which the whole community can be proud.

Who are we looking for?

The successful candidate for this position will be expected to support the work of the Principal in establishing a strong and positive culture in the early stages of our developing school. Further, there is an expectation of all newly employed staff at Lyndhurst Primary School that significant work may be required during the vacation break in January to ensure successful induction.

Teaching staff at Lyndhurst Primary School, regardless of classification or experience, are expected to possess four central and inter-related attributes:

Participate in the leading of learning
Preparedness to work within a culture of sharing and collaboration
Capacity to assist in building a sense of community
Strive for continual improvement in professional effectiveness

The successful candidate will lead, support and work within this environment.

All staff at Lyndhurst PS lead learning by embracing contemporary methods and ideas about teaching and learning. They have a deep understanding of the importance of the relationship that exists between pupil and teacher. These teachers also frequently engage the use of technologies in their teaching and embrace the role that ICT plays in engaging students and enriching learning. Teachers also understand the need for resource flexibility to support educational innovation.

All teachers must be prepared to share and collaborate. This includes a commitment to contribute to professional learning teams – beginning with, but not limited to, the unit team in which the teacher works. Teachers at Lyndhurst Primary School lead, share and reflect upon teaching and learning strategies and their own professional practice. They collaborate to implement innovative curriculum programs and share best practice. The alignment of curriculum, teaching and learning strategies, assessment and reporting underpins planning and preparation for all teachers.

Beyond the school walls

Teachers who are leaders in learning also demonstrate educational and curriculum leadership through their ability to network within and beyond the school. Networks facilitate reflection, planning and learning and revitalize skills.

At Lyndhurst Primary School, teachers build a sense of community through the establishment of a learning culture. They seek to strengthen the teaching community through their sharing and collaboration. They also strengthen the quality of distributed leadership throughout the school by their active involvement across a variety of operational areas. All teachers are active and instrumental in constructing relationships with all stakeholders in the school, local and wider communities.

Essential capabilities

Teacher capabilities impact directly upon the school’s level of performance. Teachers and leaders at Lyndhurst need to bring the capabilities listed below to our school community:

Possess high levels of energy and enthusiasm
Be an effective facilitator
Value and respect difference and diversity
Have an unwavering commitment to educational excellence
Demonstrate and model resilience and optimism
Have well developed listening skills
Generate feedback and suggestions for improvement
Be a visionary thinker – think creatively and ‘big picture’.

Staff at Lyndhurst Primary School know how students learn and build on the knowledge their students already have. They have a strong grasp of the content in the core teaching areas of literacy and numeracy. They use an array of teaching strategies matched to the learning styles of their students. They centre their teaching on the experiences and existing knowledge of the students, equipping them with the learning and skills they can use in everyday life.

Teachers at Lyndhurst Primary School expect that every student has the capacity to learn. They endeavour to ensure that every pupil is successful. To maximize opportunities for all students to succeed, teachers adapt their methods to the individual needs of the students, including high potential and under-achieving students.

Teachers at Lyndhurst Primary School establish rigorous systems of accountability, by which student and school performance can be evaluated. They use performance data to monitor student performance and also as a means of reflecting upon their teaching and future curriculum directions.

At Lyndhurst Primary School all teachers promote learning and improve learning outcomes by ensuring:

The learning environment is supportive and productive
The learning environment promotes independence, interdependence and self-motivation
Students’ needs, backgrounds, perspectives and interests are reflected in the learning program
Students are challenged and supported to develop deep levels of thinking and application
Assessment practices are an integral component of teaching and learning
Learning connects strongly with communities and practices beyond the classroom.

Important information for applicants

Applications MUST address the specified selection criteria. A limit of one page of standard 12 point text is suggested for each selection criterion.
Personal and other information should not exceed 2-3 pages.
Applicants are strongly advised to visit the school website for further information prior to preparing an application for any position at Lyndhurst Primary School.
Applicants must make every attempt to lodge applications through Recruitment Online.
In the rare case that applicants are unable to access Recruitment Online, e-mail applications will be accepted at lyndhurst.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Hard copy applications are not required or encouraged.
The applicant’s name, contact details and the position number for which they are applying should be clearly displayed on the front page of any attachment.
Application attachments are preferred in PDF format.
Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format is also acceptable.
Compressed files such as .zip files are not compatible with the Recruitment Online system.
Graphics and artwork are not encouraged and should be kept to a minimum.
Multiple attachments should not be used. Cover letters, references and other items, if included, should be incorporated into the one application attachment.
The names and contact details of up to three referees must be provided with the application.