Role Description/Criteria
Full-time | Three-year appointment: 2027 - 2029
Are you a faith-filled Catholic educator ready to make a meaningful difference in the life of a school community?
Sacred Heart Primary School, Newport is seeking an experienced, relational and inspiring Catholic educational leader to join our Senior Leadership Team as Deputy Principal: Catholic Identity & Learning and Teaching.
This is an exciting opportunity for a leader who is passionate about nurturing faith, strengthening teaching and learning, developing staff capability and creating the conditions in which every child can flourish.
Guided by the Catholic tradition and inspired by the spirituality of the Sacred Heart, we are a community committed to the dignity, wellbeing, inclusion and flourishing of every child. We seek to ensure that faith, wellbeing and academic excellence are integrated throughout the culture, relationships and daily life of our school.
Working in close partnership with the School Principal and Leadership Team, the Deputy Principal will provide strategic and day-to-day leadership across Catholic Identity, Religious Education, Learning and Teaching and School Improvement. The role offers the opportunity to help shape our shared Purpose, Vision & Mission while supporting a culture of high expectations, professional collaboration and continuous improvement.
Lead Catholic Identity & Religious Dimension of Our School
You will help nurture a vibrant Catholic learning community in which the spirituality and charism of the Sacred Heart are visible and lived. Working alongside the School Principal, Parish and staff, you will lead Religious Education, support prayer, liturgies and sacramental programs and foster the faith formation of students and staff. Gospel values will be reflected in your relationships, leadership practice and decision-making.
Lead Learning and Inspire Excellence
You will provide strategic and instructional leadership for Learning and Teaching, designing evidence-informed, high-impact pedagogy and supporting teachers to grow through coaching, mentoring, professional learning and collaborative practice. You will work with curriculum leaders to use assessment and student achievement data to strengthen teaching and improve outcomes for every learner.
Lead Strategic Change & School Improvement
In partnership with the School Principal and Leadership Team, you will help implement, monitor and evaluate the School Improvement Plan and Annual Action Plan. Current priorities include mathematics fluency and problem solving across P–6, foundational literacy, sentence-level writing and consistent student behaviour expectations. You will help build staff and leadership capacity so that improvement is purposeful, sustainable and focused on learner flourishing.
Build a Safe, Inclusive and Connected Community
You will bring calm, relational and visible leadership to student wellbeing, engagement and school operations. Through respectful partnerships with students, staff, families, Parish and community, you will help foster a school where people are known, heard and valued, and where high expectations sit alongside empathy, inclusion and belonging.
We are looking for a Deputy Principal who is:
- A committed Catholic educator who can authentically lead Catholic Identity, Religious Education and faith formation.
- An instructional leader with a strong understanding of evidence-informed teaching, curriculum, assessment and student learning.
- A strategic thinker who can translate school vision and improvement priorities into coherent action and measurable progress.
- Relational, approachable and emotionally intelligent, with the ability to build trust and lead challenging conversations with care and clarity.
- A collaborative leader who develops staff capability, builds leadership capacity and contributes positively to a cohesive leadership team.
- Highly organised and solution-focused, with sound judgement, strong communication skills and the ability to manage complexity and competing priorities.
- Committed to child safety, student voice, inclusion, wellbeing and the flourishing of every learner.
At Sacred Heart, we lead together - grounded in faith, guided by purpose, strengthened through relationships and committed to the flourishing of every student.
If you are ready to bring your faith, leadership and professional expertise to a community committed to hope, courage, love and continuous growth, we would welcome your application.
Position Details
Position: Deputy Principal: Catholic Identity & Learning and Teaching
Appointment: Full-time (FTE 1.0).
The successful applicant will be employed as an ongoing Classroom Teacher, with the Position of Leadership as Deputy Principal appointed for a three-year term from 2027 to 2029.
Remuneration: In accordance with the CEMEA 2022 Award or its updated successor
Qualifications:
A Bachelor of Education or relevant tertiary qualification is required. A Master’s degree or postgraduate qualification in education, leadership or a related field would be highly regarded.
Current Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) registration is required.
Religious Education accreditation: Applicants must be accredited to teach Religious Education in Victorian Catholic schools, and maintain required accreditation hours.
Child safety: Sacred Heart Primary School is committed to child safety, wellbeing, inclusion and student voice. The successful applicant will be expected to uphold the Victorian Child Safe Standards, MACS policies and school procedures.
How to Apply
Application should be submitted via email by 4.00 pm on Thursday 5th November 2026 to principal@shnewport.catholic.edu.au
Applications will only be considered if they include:
* a cover letter (maximum 1 page)
* response to the published selection criteria
* a completed application form and a completed Victorian Registration and Qualification Authority Fit and Proper Statutory Declaration as included. in the application form.
* evidence of qualifications and registrations, as detailed in the application form
Applications close: Thursday, 5th November 2026 at 4pm
Applications and enquiries: Mrs Kaylene Carlin; principal@shnewport.catholic.edu.au
The Position Description and Selection Criteria are available as attachments to this advertisement.
Sacred Heart Primary School is committed to promoting the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of all children. The successful applicant must demonstrate a strong understanding of and commitment to creating and maintaining a child-safe environment.
Application Procedure
Applications should include a 1-page cover letter, response to the published selection criteria, a completed application form including the VRQA Fit and Proper Statutory Declaration, and evidence of qualifications and registrations.