Irene Scott

School leader with the proven ability to introduce and drive innovative, student- and community-driven education initiatives.

Highly-motivated employee with desire to take on new challenges. Strong work ethic, adaptability, and exceptional interpersonal skills. Adept at working effectively unsupervised and quickly mastering new skills. Experienced in fast-paced environments and adaptable to last-minute changes. Thrives under pressure and consistently earns high marks for work quality and speed.

• Craig Whittred, Principal, Ayr State High School, Ayr, QLD, 4708, cwhit124@eq.edu.au, 4790 4333
• Nicole Hyland, Deputy Principal, Ayr State High School, Ayr, QLD, 4708, nhyla2@eq.edu.au, 4790 4333

Ayr State High School, Conduct of all tasks as Head of Special Education Services including team leadership, budget management, policy and procedure composition, service evaluation and delivery of professional development for teachers across the school., Participation in leadership meetings to discuss school operations and goal setting in accordance with the School’s Strategic Action Plan., Completion of tasks delegated by the administration team including coordinating the all requirements for the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)., Implementation of a significant change management process to address systemic issues through implementing a rigorous ICP process and actively collaborating with teachers to plan teaching and learning activities and make reasonable adjustments for students with specific learning needs., Establishment of open, trusting relationships with the special education support team to scaffold and promote collaborative relationships with classroom teachers, making sure to address any concerns regarding the change to service delivery with a focus on the achievement of best outcomes for students., Consultation with Student Services and Teaching and Learning HODs to discuss proposed changes and the benefits for all students and teachers., Delivery of professional development sessions to classroom teachers regarding how to effectively differentiate the curriculum to ensure the learning needs of all students are catered for., Provision of support to HODs in the collection and collation of data required for registration and audit purposes., Composition of policy and procedure manuals for the Special Education department, making sure to adhere to all school and regulatory requirements., Development and maintenance of thorough knowledge of mandatory reporting requirements as well as the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Disability Standards for Education 2005, Equal Opportunity Act 1984 and Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)., Delivery of training to teachers regarding the NCCD to build understanding of what constitutes reasonable adjustments to enable students with a disability to participate in classroom and wider school activities on the same basis as other students., Implementation of procedures to support teachers in the collection of information required for NCCD reporting., Leadership of the moderation of data with the NCCD team to ensure compliance with program definitions and requirements., Coordination of the collation of NCCD information, assisting in uploading the data on Administration of Schools (AoS) system with the school administrator., Utilisation of NCCD information, as well as classroom teacher and special needs team insights, to complete funding applications for all students with disabilities taking into account individual needs and the supports required to enable access to the same educational opportunities as their peers., Participation in the funding process to effectively and passionately advocate for the needs of students with disabilities at the school., Composition of applications for the specialised equipment required for students with intensive support needs., Ayr State High School, Facilitation of individual, small group and class activities in Special Education and mainstream classrooms for students in Years 9 and 10 ensuring alignment with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and relevant syllabi and curriculum requirements., Utilisation of knowledge of the educational, functional, social and emotional needs of students with disabilities such as Down’s Syndrome, Asperger Syndrome and visual, physical and hearing impairments., Provision of support and assistance to teachers in the creation of student-centred, authentic programs and learning experiences whilst managing the needs of highly diverse and challenging classroom environments and students., Recognition and provision for the specific cultural and educational needs of students from Non-English Speaking Backgrounds, Indigenous cultures and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds., Facilitation of the collaborative development with parents, teachers and support staff of individual Education Adjustment Programs (EAPs) to ensure each student is both supported and challenged throughout her or his educational program and attainment of expressed goals., Development and maintenance of a broad collection of targeted and real-world learning experiences and conceptual ideas for teachers and support staff to implement in order to enable students to work towards the attainment of their EAP goals as well develop strong and appropriate social skills and relationships., Provision of support, information and assistance to classroom teachers throughout the validation process., Completion of all compliance and reporting documentation including detailed student records of educational, medical and family circumstances as well as supporting information and data as required., Consultation with specialist staff and medical professionals to develop a comprehensive understanding of each student’s needs and educational requirements., Establishment and enforcement of agreed behavioural expectations and goals., Assurance of the safety and wellbeing of all students at all times., Collation of all student achievement data leading to the development of reports regarding student learning progress and goal attainment., Participation in ongoing professional development to consistently build and expand skills., Karumba State School, Completion of all operational and strategic functions of a primary school principal including: completing the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) survey and Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) report., Drafting and verifying the Karumba State School Strategic Plan 2022 – 2025., Completing both the nine month and 12 month EIB School Review processes., Improving the Karumba State School Action Plan., Coordinating and completing NAPLAN 2021 and NAPLAN 2022 readiness processes., Pursuit of a strategies to keep the school’s six Year 6 students (out of a 15 student total) at the school by establishing a distance education program involving: meeting with the local mayor to gain support for the idea, particularly to eliminate the need to drive for one hour each way to the closest high school., Liaising with the principal at Julia Creek to determine the physical, technical, human and financial resource requirements of establishing and operating such an initiative., Consulting with the IT specialist at Mount Isa District Office to determine if the school had, or had access to, the necessary technical requirements., Application of high-level financial acumen to achieve desired outcomes for students and the school including: receipt of a $6,500 grant to create and maintain a garden and activity area, approval of $98,000 to develop and build an outdoor learning centre, receipt of $78,000 of infrastructure funding to build an animal-proof fence around the school, locating over $126,000 from multiple sources on arrival at the school to fix a wide range of issues including the telephone system, rebuilding the cyclone-damaged rotunda, replacing the electricity property pole and accessing the required funds for students to attend the school camp., Management of highly complex community, P&C and staff relationships through open communication and resilience and the establishment of positive partnerships with the Karumba community, businesses, medical centre and Gulf Council Mayor and Councillors., Composition of policies and lesson plans to support the six pillars of the school’s Positive Behaviour for Learning approach., Analysis of school historical data to identify reading as a focus area of improvement resulting in the implementation of the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness program., Development of a strategy to ensure the availability of funds and relief staff to ensure team members received the training and resources required to effectively plan and deliver the Heggerty program., Composition of a reading policy for Karumba State School identifying strategies to be used across the school and target outcomes., Complete revision of teaching and learning programs across the school for the remainder of the school year to ensure alignment with A and B resources lists and units, and purposefully build on existing knowledge to develop deep understanding of concepts and assessable items., Review of potential resources regarding developing comprehension skills with the ‘Stars’ and ‘Cars’ programs chosen for introduction., Provision of leadership and mentoring to the second year classroom teacher to significantly improve pedagogical and curriculum knowledge and teaching and learning planning and delivery., Liaison with the principal of Normanton State School to organise for the classroom teacher to attend moderation sessions with schools in the surrounding areas to improve understanding of curriculum outcomes and the importance of subject walls to drive pedagogical programs and learning outcomes., Delivery of training to three business service managers due to high turnover of the role., Coordination of the comprehensive training of teacher aides to ensure the development of the necessary skills to effectively guide the learning of students with unique needs and manage a classroom of students during the intermittent absence of the teaching principal., Coordination of a long term recruitment plan for a school cleaner from a small, remote community, with much of the cleaning being completed by myself for much of the year due to the lack of applicants., Improvement of the Karumba State School Action Plan and Improvement Strategies 1 and 2 for both the nine month and 12 month EIB checks in review., Improvement across all areas of the curriculum including Maths, English and Science, with 63% of students achieving As, Bs or Cs in Term 1, 2021, rising to 100% of students achieving Cs and above in Term 3., Improvement of the reading data across all year levels through an intentional improvement agenda.

• HOSES, Ayr State High School, 01/2023, Present
• Special Needs Teacher, Ayr State High School, 04/2022, 01/2023
• Specialist Teacher (Contract), Home Hill State School, 01/2022, 04/2022
• Acting Principal, Karumba State School, 04/2021, 12/2021
• Acting Principal, Burketown State School, 03/2021, 04/2021
• Teacher, PBL Coach and Mentor, Home Hill State School, 01/2015, 03/2021
• Teacher, East Ayr State School, 01/2014, 12/2014
• Teacher, Burdekin Special State School, 01/2013, 12/2013
• Teacher, Year Level Coordinator and Special Educator Case Manager, Tully State High School, 01/2010, 12/2012
• Teacher, Miriwinni State School, 01/2009, 12/2009
• Teacher, Innisfail Special State School, 01/2008, 12/2008