Are you an experienced classroom teacher looking to take the next step in your leadership journey?

Y Community School is seeking a motivated and engaging Lead Classroom Teacher to join our team in Term 1, 2026. 

About Us

The Y Community School was established in 2024 to respond to the needs of young people who are disengaged or at significant risk of disengaging from mainstream education. The school is part of Y Whittlesea, a not-for-profit that happens to be part of the oldest youth organisation in the world (YMCA) and oldest social enterprise, where all profits go back into our communities. The Y School is a fresh initiative, crafting a safe and inclusive learning environment for young people aged 15-20 who may have faced disengagement from education. We're all about providing support, services, and programs to empower individuals to achieve their goals.

Teachers at the Y Community School play a crucial role in assisting students to re-connect with education, helping them discover their interests, needs, goals, and personalised learning plans. They develop and deliver dynamic and engaging learning materials and activities. Teachers actively guide students to attain learning outcomes and progress along their educational paths, with the ultimate objective of empowering students to take an active role in their learning and transition to successful life paths.

About the role

Lead teachers perform a role as a classroom teacher and in addition are released from classes for a proportion of their time to enable them to provide knowledge, expertise, and leadership to staff. Lead teachers receive a leadership allowance in addition to their base teacher’s salary in recognition of their skills.

As the lead teacher at the Y Community School, you will play a vital role in shaping a responsive, inclusive curriculum to help guide students towards discovering their future pathways, fostering recovery, and igniting hope.

This leadership role will focus on one of two strategic areas, depending on your experience and strengths:

• Teaching and learning leader – drive innovative, student-centred curriculum design, support teacher practice, and lead professional learning to maximise student engagement and success.

OR

• VET, Careers & Pathways Leader – Lead the integration of vocational education, career development, and future pathways into the learning experience, ensuring students have meaningful post-school options that align with their goals and interests.

As part of the Campus Leadership Team, you will play a vital role in supporting staff, shaping school direction, and ensuring high-quality outcomes for all students. You’ll work collaboratively with the Executive Principal, Campus Principal, and other leaders across the school to build a culture of continual improvement and inclusive education.

This is a full-time opportunity, commencing January 2026.

For a more detailed description of the duties, view the position description and lead teacher position purpose statement at the following links (copy into browser):

Classroom teacher position description — https://ymac.worldmanager.com/go/gJ67DQ 

Lead teacher position purpose — https://ymac.worldmanager.com/go/olHhZY

 Relevant knowledge and skills:

• Demonstrated ability to lead and support staff in developing effective, inclusive teaching practices and curriculum design.
• Knowledge of the Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) and VCE Vocational Major (VCE VM).
• A Teaching degree, and current registration with the VIT as a classroom teacher.
• Experience in planning, implementing and evaluating individualised educational programs for young people.
• Knowledge of the issues that impact on the education of young people with wellbeing or mental health difficulties and experience in promoting positive student wellbeing.
• Strong interpersonal skills including self-awareness, self-management and awareness of others in communication and problem solving.

All applicants must be registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching, be qualified to teach, and have demonstrated experience in the knowledge and skill area(s) specified for the position.

Want to know more about our School? Visit our website (copy link into your browser) – https://whittlesea.ymca.org.au/y-community-school/

How to apply

Applicants are invited to submit a resume and cover letter by clicking on the 'Apply Now' button.

Have a question before applying? Contact Sarah Abbott, Campus Principal on 03 9407 6229 or email sarah.abbott@yschool.vic.gov.au. You can also email recruitment@ywhittlesea.org.au (we manage applications via our online portal, so please be sure to apply via the website and not by email. Thanks for your understanding).

Applications close date:  1 November 2025

We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible, as screening and interviews may begin as applications are received. This position may close early if a suitable candidate is identified before the official closing date.

Safeguarding Children and Young People

At the Y, we are committed to empowering all Children and Young People to feel safe and be safe, at the Y, in their families and in their communities. As such, we ensure that all of our candidates are appropriately screened (including police checks) to make sure that the right people are in the right roles.

To learn more about our screening processes, click here to view our Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy (copy link into your browser):

https://ymca.org.au/about-us/safeguarding-children-young-people/safeguardingresources/

The Y is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the safeguarding of children and young people.