Organisation: Craigslea State High School
Job Title: Head of Department – Arts
Word Limit: 400 – 600 words per criterion
Location: Craigslea State High School
Demonstrated teaching competence and capacity to provide curriculum leadership leading to the achievement of quality learning outcomes for all students
An inspiring educator with a successful career spanning over 25 years, I am highly skilled in the design of challenging and enriching curriculum programs within the scope of current legislative frameworks and educational philosophies. Employed as the Head of Department with Clontarf Beach State High School since 2001, I have extensive experience providing strategic, academic and professional leadership for the development of the School’s Arts programs, encompassing Visual Arts, Dance, Drama, Music and Instrumental Music. Contributing in a dual capacity, for the last five years I have also acted as a multidisciplinary House Leader overseeing the development of an additional 80 students from Grades 7 to 12.This holistic approach encourages a focus on whole school initiatives and has led to the development of a ‘Whole of School Approach to Supporting Student Learning’ working party, in which I act as the Head of Department representative. With an emphasis on curriculum differentiation, the purpose of this initiative is to develop a student support learning policy to cater for diverse learning needs. This includes students in need of learning or behavioural support; those who have educational support needs arising from disability; those who are gifted and talented; and those learning English as an additional language, or a combination of these. As part of this process, we are currently revising the Clontarf High School values and mission statement to ensure alignment with student learning needs and whole school objectives.
Responsible for leading the arts curriculum focus in line with school and departmental initiatives, I have demonstrated my ability to develop, articulate and commit to a shared educational vision focussed on providing quality learning outcomes for all students. Testament to my skills in this area, I was one of only four teachers recently invited to join the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) writing team to contribute to the development of a new syllabus as part of the transition from the Queensland Studies Authority. Partnering with the Learning Area Reference Committee (LARC) for Arts, my role is to provide informed advice within the discipline to support the development of specific syllabuses, guidelines, assessment frameworks and other materials. The writing process involves collaborating with my colleagues to co-develop a draft senior syllabus in accordance with QCAA curriculum advisory structures. This project is now in the research and consultation phase, with syllabus development, feedback, publishing and resource development to be completed by June 2016.
Through my sophisticated knowledge of pedagogical practices, students and curriculum content, I strongly believe that education should provide ample opportunities for all students in order to gain knowledge to the best of their ability and progress in their learning. Committed to making a difference in student’s lives and creating a foundation for lifelong development, my passion for the arts stems from my early career as a Music Tutor, Coordinator and Teacher. I have found that these programs are invaluable within a school environment in order to contribute to the development of the student as a person and encourage them to leverage their creative talents, competencies and skills to open pathways for success in their working and recreational lives. The passion and commitment that I have displayed to quality learning practices and curriculum development throughout my career will be well suited to the Craigslea State High School mission “to create a safe, tolerant and disciplined environment within which young people prepare to be active and reflective Australian citizens with a disposition for lifelong learning.”
Demonstrated strong interpersonal skills and the capacity to develop and sustain productive relationships within and beyond the school community
Collaborating with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders throughout my career, I am pleased to say I have achieved a great deal of success developing and sustaining relationships through appropriate social sensitivity and an informed understanding of cultural awareness. My strong interpersonal skills have been particularly valuable in my role as a teacher where it is essential for productive relationships to be forged between students, parents, and fellow colleagues to assist with creating a successful learning environment within the classroom. With a professional and empathetic approach to all my daily interactions, I am able to effectively express my expectations of students, collaborate with my colleagues, share information with parents and guardians, and encourage the importance of effective communication to my students.
Through my experience, I have observed that having these positive relationships provides an enriching and elevating effect on the wider school community and works to provide beneficial and learning opportunities for all involved. To this end, I have been pro-actively involved in the analysis of current research, practices and feedback to facilitate professional dialogue within the school and other learning networks to improve the learning outcomes of students. Confident in my ability to convey my ideas to my peers, colleagues and supervisors, I regularly provide positive and constructive feedback and likewise enjoy receiving their perspectives relating to my practices. As a mentor and teacher, I recognise that the ability to provide effective constructive feedback is just as important as positive recognition in improving performance and promoting professional and personal growth. In my experience, providing constructive feedback is a huge engagement building activity as it shows my genuine care for the individual and their development.
My passion and involvement in being an active member of the school community has been demonstrated through my participation and organisation of arts and musical events, concerts, excursions and after-hours or off-site activities. This involves working collaboratively with all key stakeholders, including parents, school committees and community groups. At all times, I work to create an environment that is conducive to sharing ideas and responsibility, seeking input and recognising contributions made by each individual. These experiential learning activities have the added benefit of strengthening my relationships with students, parents, families and colleagues and are highly beneficial as students gain the opportunity to interact in a different social context. It helps to develop and promote a sense of community within the school and can lead to the development of new skills and the pursuit of different interests.
For example, I have facilitated students’ involvement and selection in specialist programs with Griffith University, Conservatorium of Music, State Honours Ensemble Program and the Creative Generation State Schools Onstage, showcasing their musical abilities and talent to the wider community. Over the years, this has included multiple students being selected in the State Honours Music Program where only 75 top music students from the whole state are selected to attend a two week residential music performance programme with the finale showcase concert being held in the concert hall at QPAC. Additionally, I have personally taught students who have gone on to establish themselves as professional musicians or achieved success in the arts and entertainment industry at a local, state, national and international level. With a professional, cooperative and friendly approach to building relationships within the community, I would use these skills to maintain the high standing and reputation of Craigslea State High School.
Capacity to use analytical skills to contribute to educational outcomes at the school level
With over 15 years of experience as the Head of Department, Arts with Clontarf Beach State High School, I have applied my high-level analytical skills to access, capture, monitor and report on educational outcomes on a daily basis. To achieve this, I maintain a thorough understanding of whole school and faculty objectives, current trends and regional and State benchmarks by effectively utilising resources such as OneSchool database, NAPLAN and Education Queensland traffic light reports. Through the effective analysis of attendance, retention, student performance and pass rates, I am able to promote an ongoing cycle of improvement and an explicit connection between teachers’ practices in the classroom and the school’s directions and goals.
To achieve this, I facilitate regular team and one-on-one meetings throughout the year to set expectations within my team and empower them to take accountability for their areas of control through the effective use of clear reporting and feedback mechanisms. For example, at the beginning of each term, I meet with each of my teachers and use a data reflection template to analyse individual and overall student performance and discuss what has or has not been delivered and why, what are the concerns or challenges and any mitigating factors that may have impacted the achievement of student learning outcomes. This also provides an opportunity to review tasks or curriculum, set goals for individual students and develop behavioural or special education plans as required.
Committed to my own lifelong learning, I have actively participated in training and initiatives to improve my skills in this area in order to effectively contribute to educational outcomes at a school level. For example, I actively participated in regular workshops delivered by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) lecturer Judy Smear over the course of 12 months on best practice methodologies for monitoring and analysing student data to ensure that high standards of education are consistently met by all students and teachers. Through my training and extensive experience in the industry, I am able to share this knowledge and expertise with my staff and colleagues and promote the importance of using data to achieve their teaching objectives. This includes only analysing data, but converting it into measurable actions to improve student performance and drive future planning at both a faculty and school level.
For example, in my capacity as House Leader, I work closely with the Year 10 students under my tutelage, their teachers and parents to develop their Senior Education and Training Plans (SETPs) and structure their learning based on their abilities, interests and ambitions. Analysing the students’ performance prior to their compulsory interview provides visibility over their strengths and identifies areas for development, allowing for the facilitation of achievable learning goals and pathway options. Using these same skills to track and monitor their performance, I regularly review and refine their goals as they progress through Years 11 and 12 to ensure that 100% of the senior students are awarded their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). Through the effective presentation and analysis of data at both a school and classroom level, I am confident that my expertise in this area will see me make a valuable contribution to the educational outcomes of Craigslea State High School.
Capacity to manage effectively human, financial and physical resources to deliver high quality organisational outcomes
Through my 25 years of experience within the education industry, I have assumed a high level of responsibility that has demanded exceptional resource management skills, including developing staff, working closely with executive teams, facilitating planning meetings, managing budgets and organising the successful end-to-end delivery of school performances and events. As the Head of Department and House Leader, this also includes the full range of employee relations activities, including recruitment, performance management and review cycles, talent development, employee engagement and coaching and mentoring programs. I have a demonstrable record of remaining calm and intervening during crises and the required experience, skills and qualifications to effectively manage the smooth day-to-day operation of a busy faculty.
With full profit and loss responsibility, I use my financial acumen and knowledge of the industry to make sound decisions in the allocation of resources to deliver high quality organisational outcomes. This requires extensive strategic and operational planning in order to cater for basic resources as well as major assets. For example, with support of the Principal and the P&C Committee, the Head of Department faculty members are given the opportunity to request items that are outside the scope of allocated budgets but would greatly enhance learning across the school. With the ability to prioritise resources and gather the appropriate information to support the viability of additional expenditures, I developed a business case request for equipment and upgrades required for the Arts Faculty. This resulted in the faculty receiving a large sum to purchase instruments, microphones and professional band and musical equipment.
At all times, I remain diligent and up‑to‑date with regards to the overall arts budget through the accurate interpretation of Excel spreadsheets, balanced scorecards and monthly reports to ensure resources are correctly utilised with no wastage or overspend. This includes the preparation of operating expenses, procurement, and requisition, and credit card reconciliations in line with the senior accountabilities of a Head of Department position. Additionally, I provide my staff with regular tracking reports to give them full visibility and accountability for their area. My experience extends to the management of off-site events and overnight excursions which require complex planning, consultation and management of human, financial and physical resources. For example, my colleagues and I organised a large group of Clontarf State High School musical students to perform at the Jumpers and Jazz Festival in Roma, Toowoomba and Warwick.
This involved extensive fundraising and community support with the assistance of the P&C Committee to coordinate raffles and a barbeque at Harvey Norman to reduce costs. Coordinating all the accommodation, meals and travel required extensive organisation to gather quotes, register official suppliers via the OneSchool system and allocate costs to the correct expense code in accordance with Education Queensland guidelines and policies. This was a highly successful event that received positive feedback from the students, parents and organisers of the Festival. My skills in this area will be particularly valuable in the delivery of arts programs with Craigslea State High School, demonstrated by my ability to utilise a wide variety of teaching and learning experiences and appropriate resources to cater for the different learning styles of students.
