Principalship St Patrick's Primary School, Fremantle

Principalship for St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, Fremantle

The Executive Director of Catholic Education Western Australia Limited (CEWA) invites applications for the Principalship role at St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School based in Fremantle commencing 1 January 2026. 

School profile

St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Fremantle is a vibrant, co-educational, single-stream primary school catering to 150 students from Pre-Kindergarten to Year Six. The school is deeply connected to St Patrick’s Basilica, the heart of Fremantle’s Catholic community. More than 125 years since the first Oblate priests arrived in Fremantle, the Basilica continues to support the local area and works alongside the school community in its ongoing growth and development.

The school is supported by an active Catholic School Advisory Council and Parents & Friends (P&F) group, both passionate about meeting the needs of the children, school, and families.

We celebrate our history, embrace the present, and continue to nurture future generations by ‘walking in the light of Christ’. Our model of schooling is underpinned by Gospel values and encourages students to strive for their best in all aspects of school life.

Senior students are given opportunities to grow as future leaders through the St Patrick’s Student Leaders Program, the Year Six Adventure Camp, and dedicated Leadership Days. All Year Six students are expected to embrace their role as leaders, modelling behaviours and characteristics that younger students can aspire to.

The school has a well-coordinated Physical Education program, complemented by intraschool and interschool carnivals, clinics run by external providers, term swimming lessons, before-school training, and dance. Specialist lessons are offered in Science, Italian, Sport, Drama, and Digital Technology, along with intervention and extension classes.

Our school maintains strong links with the Fremantle community, making wide use of local facilities and opportunities through affiliations with the University of Notre Dame Australia and the City of Fremantle.

Further information is available here: https://stpatsfremantle.wa.edu.au/     

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

Catholic Identity

• Demonstrates Christ-centred servant leadership by modelling empathy, compassion, and humility, making Jesus real in daily school life, and fostering strong parish relationships grounded in Catholic Social Teaching and Gospel values.
• Supports the faith formation of staff and students through relational leadership and professional development, while leading a welcoming, inclusive environment that prioritises child safety, pastoral care and a deep sense of belonging.

Education

• Demonstrates the ability to lead curriculum implementation collaboratively, drawing on historical context and staff consultation to support effective student learning.
• Shows capacity to foster a culture of continuous improvement by using data-informed decision-making to support diverse learners and enhance educational outcomes.

Community 

• Demonstrates Christ-centred leadership by strengthening inclusive school culture through deep partnerships with families, parish and the Fremantle community, while sustaining vibrant sporting and extra-curricular programs that foster student development, emotional wellbeing and community connection.
• Demonstrates the ability to foster a welcoming and inclusive school environment by building respectful relationships, leading a collaborative and wellbeing-focused staff culture, and strengthening partnerships with families, parish and the wider community to support holistic student development.

Stewardship

• Demonstrates the ability to strategically grow school enrolments through targeted outreach and community engagement, while managing budgets responsibly to ensure long-term sustainability and investment in wellbeing, professional development and effective learning environments.
• Demonstrates strategic and compassionate leadership by fostering inclusive practices that support diverse learners, empowering staff through collaborative implementation, and applying creative problem-solving within financial constraints to strengthen school identity and belonging.

Essential 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 Teachers Registration for Western Australia (TRBWA).
• Current WA Working with Children Check (WA WWCC).

Benefits:

• Competitive remuneration based on school size and enrolment numbers.
• Additional 2.5% superannuation above guarantee.
• Vehicle available for personal use with co-contribution.
• System Leaders 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 produce an application which 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 are received 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:  

Guide for Applying for the Role of Principal

Provision for Principal

Duties and Responsibilities of Principal 

To apply for this position please click on the APPLY NOW button. Applications close at 2.00pm Monday 28 July 2025.

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

Catholic Education Western Australia encourages applications from First Nations people, people with a disability, people of all ages and people from culturally diverse backgrounds. To be eligible to apply for this role you must be legally permitted to work in Australia.