Principalship Sacred Heart Primary School, Thornlie

Principalship at Sacred Heart Primary School, Thornlie 

The Executive Director of Catholic Education Western Australia Limited (CEWA) invites applications for the Principalship role at Sacred Heart Primary School based in Thornlie commencing 1 January 2027. 

School Profile

Sacred Heart Primary School, Thornlie is a vibrant and inclusive Catholic primary school grounded in the rich traditions of the Sacred Heart and Loreto charisms. Serving a diverse multicultural community, the school is committed to ensuring every child is known, valued and supported to flourish in faith, learning and wellbeing.

With a rich history and strong partnerships between the school, parish and families, Sacred Heart is recognised as a welcoming and inclusive environment that celebrates the diversity of its multicultural community. The school offers a distinctive educational setting that includes the Mary Ward Inclusion Support Centre, an on-site Long Day Care for children aged 2 years to 4 years, Out of School Hours Care and Vacation Care, the Aslan language program, and Luna, the school's wellbeing dog.

Guided by a commitment to faith, inclusion and excellence, Sacred Heart provides a supportive environment where students are encouraged to achieve their potential while developing a strong sense of belonging and purpose. The school places a high value on student and staff wellbeing, collaborative relationships, and continuous improvement in teaching and learning.

This is an exciting opportunity for a faith-filled and relational leader to build on the school's strong foundations, strengthen community partnerships, and lead the next phase of growth and development within a thriving Catholic school community where faith, learning and belonging are at the heart of all that it does.

In addition to the duties and responsibilities of the Principal, the community seeks a principal who:

Catholic Identity

• Demonstrated commitment to and active witness of the Catholic faith, with the capacity to lead and strengthen the Catholic identity of the school through faith formation, Gospel values, and the integration of Catholic teachings across all aspects of school life.
• Demonstrated capacity to lead with compassion, integrity and servant leadership, fostering a faith-filled culture that supports the spiritual, pastoral and wellbeing needs of students and staff.

Education

• Demonstrated instructional leadership with the capacity to lead evidence-informed teaching and learning, drive curriculum improvement, and achieve high-quality educational outcomes for all students.
• Demonstrated ability to build staff capability through collaboration, coaching, mentoring and professional learning, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, accountability and professional growth.

Community

• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain authentic partnerships with families, parish and the wider community, fostering trust, collaboration and a shared commitment to the mission and vision of the school.
• Demonstrated capacity to provide visible, approachable and inclusive leadership that promotes a positive school culture, celebrates diversity, and ensures all members of the community feel valued, respected and connected.

Stewardship

• Demonstrated capacity to lead with integrity and accountability, providing strategic leadership and effective stewardship of financial, physical and human resources to support sustainable school improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to foster a positive, faith-centred school culture through the development, support and wellbeing of staff, promoting collaboration, professional growth and shared responsibility.

Selection Criteria:

• Practising Catholic and experienced educator committed to Catholic Education.
• Accredited for Leadership of a Catholic School Community or equivalent.
• A collaborative and future-focused leader who understands and supports the strategic priorities of the broader Catholic Education system. 
• A relevant Master’s degree (or working towards completion) with the ability to apply advanced leadership and management principles to both the day-to-day and long-term leadership of a school is highly desirable.
• Current Teacher Registration for Western Australia (TRBWA).
• Current WA Working with Children Check (WA WWCC).

Benefits:

• Competitive remuneration.
• Additional 2.5% superannuation above the guarantee.
• Vehicle available for personal use with co-contribution.
• System Leader Renewal Leave.
• Additional leave for wellbeing and Catholic Day.
• Access to high-quality professional learning and development.
• Discounted rates on corporate health insurance and wellbeing initiatives.

Applicant Instructions:

Applicants will need to submit an application that includes a cover letter addressed to the Executive Director, a curriculum vitae, contact information for professional referees and your Parish Priest, and a leadership SAO. All applications must be submitted through the website, which will require you to create or log in to your personal profile.

Please refer to the following documentation for further information:

Principal Application Guide

Provision for Principal

Duties and Responsibilities of the Principal

To visit the school website, follow this link: https://shthorn.wa.edu.au/

To apply for this position, please click on the APPLY NOW button. Applications close at 2pm Friday 28 August 2026.

For any queries, please contact Tania Lal, Principal Employment Advisor, on (08) 9380 1824 or email principalappointment@cewa.edu.au. 

All employees of Catholic Education Western Australia are required to support the Catholic ethos in the performance of their duties. Catholic Education Western Australia also encourages applications from people of all cultural backgrounds, First Nations people, and individuals with disabilities or medical conditions who meet the requirements of the position. To be eligible to apply, you must be legally permitted to work in Australia.