0411166193
About this job
Position Information
Rutherford Public School (School No. 4561; Family Occupation and Education Index 125, Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage 924) was established in 1985 on the land of the Wonnarua People. The school is a large regional primary school within the Maitland Principal Network, located in the Regional North and West Education School Performance Directorate. In 2026, the school has an enrolment of 1035 students representing diverse cultural, linguistic and socio-economic backgrounds. The school currently has 39 mainstream classes and 5 special education classes for students with a disability. Twenty-one per cent of students identify as Aboriginal and 16% of students identify as having a language background other than English. The school values and celebrates its rich diversity and maintains strong partnerships with the local Aboriginal community, working closely with the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) to promote cultural inclusion, strengthen community connections and support student success.
Rutherford Public School has a proud tradition of delivering high-quality educational opportunities across academic, sporting, creative and extracurricular domains. The school is recognised for its strong commitment to student wellbeing, with practices underpinned by the core values of respect, responsibility, personal best and safety. Positive relationships between students, staff, families and the wider community are central to the school’s culture. An active Parents and Citizens’ Association and strong community partnerships contribute to a collaborative and inclusive learning environment. The school is also one of six schools within the Rutherford Learning Community, supporting collective efficacy, professional collaboration and continuity of learning across local schools.
The school is well resourced through the Resource Allocation Model (RAM) and maintains a sharp focus on continuous improvement in student learning outcomes. A rigorous and challenging curriculum is delivered through evidence-informed explicit teaching practices, consistent curriculum implementation across all 44 classes and targeted assessment practices used to inform responsive teaching and learning programs. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are embedded within the school’s organisational structures and play a significant role in fostering teacher collaboration, strengthening consistent teacher judgement and driving ongoing improvement in classroom practice. The school is committed to building the capacity of staff to ensure every student is known, valued and cared for while achieving their full academic, social and emotional potential.
General Selection Criteria
1. Successful teaching experience with capacity to initiate improvement in teaching, learning and classroom practice
2. Knowledge of curriculum, assessment and student welfare with the ability to lead and design quality, inclusive teaching and learning programs
3. Educational leadership skills to build the capacity and manage the performance of individuals and teams
4. Well developed communication and interpersonal skills with the capacity to build relationships and engage students, staff and parents
5. Ability to plan and manage resources effectively and equitably to support teaching and learning
6. Knowledge of and commitment to the Department's Aboriginal education policy
Specific Selection Criteria
In addition to the general selection criteria, approval to teach infants and/or primary
• Evidence of highly visible, collaborative and consultative leadership skills to lead and improve explicit teaching and whole school literacy and numeracy programs.
• Proven ability to manage daily operations efficiently with strong communication, organisational and management skills and systems in a large, diverse school setting.
• Demonstrated leadership in advancing student wellbeing and sustainable community connections to authentically promote a positive, inclusive and culturally supportive school environment for all.
Conditions
An unconditional full approval to teach is a requirement. If you do not hold a full approval to teach with the NSW Department of Education, you are required to commence the application process at the same time as you apply for this teaching opportunity.
Special Notes
Applicants are to include details of their WWCC clearance number as part of this application.
About the NSW Department of Education
The Department of Education is the largest provider of public education in Australia with responsibility for delivering high-quality public education to two-thirds of the NSW student population. We welcome applications from all ages and genders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, the LGBTQIA+ community, veterans, refugees, neurodiverse people and people with disability. If we can make some adjustments to our recruitment/interview process to better help you shine, please contact the hiring manager using the contact details provided above. For more information, visit NSW Department of Education Diversity and Inclusion
Merit selection application guidelines for classroom teachers, executives and principals provide clear advice for applicants and selection panels. The guidelines are available here.
To meet the page limits outlined in the guidelines, all application attachments must be submitted in PDF format. Please note that late applications will not be accepted.