1. Introduction to School Council: a guide for prospective members
Explanatory Notes:
This presentation is intended to provide those people who might be interested in joining a school council with:
an overview of what a school council is;
an overview of the legal framework in which school councils operate;
what you can expect as a school councillor;
where to go for more information.

2. What is a school council?
A legally formed body that is given powers to set the key directions of a school
It is the major governing body of the school
It decides future directions for the school and oversees the school's operation
What is a school council?
All government schools in Victoria have a school council.
Each school council is a legal entity in its own right.
School council is the group of people who are given the power to set the key directions for the school. This means that school council can directly influence the quality of education that a school provides to its students.
School council also makes sure that the school is running effectively in terms of how it spends its money and the guidelines it makes for how the school is to work.

3. The legal framework Education and Training Reform Act 2006
Education and Training Reform Regulations 2007
Individual school's constituting Order
All school council decision-making takes place within a framework of legislated powers and DEECD policy and guidelines
What laws effect school councils?
School councils operate under the framework provided by the following laws:
The Education and Training Reform Act 2006
The Education and Training Reform Regulations 2007
Each school also has its own legal framework under which it operates. This is called the school's constituting Order and outlines such things as how many people can join school council, if community members can be members, and how many people can be appointed to each membership category (parent membership, DEECD membership and community membership).

4. Who is on school council?
There are 3 categories of membership:
Parent members
DEECD employee members
Community members (optional)
School council members are elected for a two-year term
School council membership
There are three types of membership on school council:
Parent members
DEECD employee members – the principal is included as a DEECD staff member and has full voting rights
Community members – this is optional and these positions are co-opted, rather than elected.
Co-opting allows school councils to bring additional skills and perspectives to the council that may not be available from the parent or teaching community.
The co-option of community members is a decision made by school council and is reflected in the school’s constituting Order.
For example, the council may decide that it wants to use the co-opted positions to co-opt a member from the local community, such as an accountant, a builder or someone with particular skills they feel they might need, or it might include students (in secondary school) or parent club representatives.
DEECD employees cannot be community members.
Community members have the same voting rights as elected members.
More than one third of school council members must be parents.
Councils must be between 6 and 15 members in total size.
Term of office
School council members are elected for a two year term or co-opted in the case of community members.
Half the membership is elected or co-opted each year and this creates vacancies for the yearly school council elections.

5. What is the role of school council?
Establish the broad direction and vision of the school within the school's community
Develop and monitor the school strategic plan
Develop, review and update school policies
Develop, review and monitor the Student Code of Conduct and the School Dress Code
Raise funds for school related purposes
Approve the annual budget and monitor expenditure
Maintain the school’s grounds and facilities
Enter into contracts (e.g. cleaning, construction work)
Report annually to the school community and to DEECD
Stimulate interest in the school generally
The role of school council
The role of school council is outlined in the Education and Training Reform Act 2006.
In essence, the role is one of setting the long term future for the school and maintaining oversight of the school's operation. It is not about running the school – that is the job of the principal.
Three of the critical roles are outlined in more detail in this presentation are:
developing the strategic plan
approving the annual budget, and
setting and reviewing policies. .
Other roles include:
developing, reviewing and monitoring both the Student Code of Conduct (how the school expects students to behave, how bullying will be managed and the school's approach to managing student behaviour) and the School Dress Code (this includes how students are expected to dress during school hours including traveling to and from school, if the school has a uniform and what that looks like, and any arrangement with clothing suppliers that the school might enter into);
raising money for things that the school needs;
making sure the school’s grounds and buildings are maintained;
entering into contracts for things like cleaning the school or a school council building project; &
creating interest in the school within the community.
For further information on the role of school council, see the DEECD school council roles and responsibilities webpage -

6. School council does not…
Manage the school
Employ teaching staff
Represent sectional interests
Renew the principal's contract or hire and fire the school principal
Determine class allocations
Discuss individual issues between teachers and students and/or parents
Purchase land, buildings or motor vehicles
Enter into hire purchase agreements or obtain credit or loan facilities, unless authorized by the Minister
What school council does not do
School council does not manage the day to day running of the school. For example, it does not employ teaching staff, decide which classes students will be assigned to, or sort out issues relating to individual teachers and students and/or parents.
Nor does it discuss individual issues relating to teachers or staff or parents – these are very clearly management roles, and therefore the principal's job.
School councillors are not appointed to represent specific interest groups or permit special interests to dominate the agenda of the council.
School council does not renew the principals’ contract nor recruit or dismiss the principal. The principal selection process is regularly reviewed by the Department. The principal selection process is located at:
School Council is also not allowed to purchase land, buildings or motor cars and it cannot enter into hire purchase agreements or obtain credit or loans, unless it is given permission by the Minister.
For further information on the role of school council and what it is not responsible for, see the DEECD school council webpage -

7. Key relationships Principal and school council president
President and sub-committee conveners
Between council members
Staff and parents and school council
School council and DEECD
Key Relationships for School Councils
For school councils to operate effectively, it is important that school council is able to work as a team
A critical relationship is that between the principal and the school council president. They need to work together cooperatively, and where necessary, be prepared to acknowledge any personal differences so as to be able to work in partnership for the good of the school. There is no place for one-upmanship on school council.
Similarly, school council president and the convenors of the sub-committees need to maintain respectful and co-operative relationships. Sub-committees are advisory bodies to school council and do not make decisions by themselves. It is important for sub-committee convenors to remember this.
School council members need to be able to work as a team. This means respecting the different skills, knowledge and experience that each member brings to council, sharing the workload, and everyone contributing and sharing responsibility.
It follows that school council also needs to be able to work co-operatively with the parents and staff at the school. This does not mean that councillors have to like everyone, rather they need to be able to listen and ask the school community, and sometimes the wider community, about their views on topics that council might be considering – for example, uniform policy or dress code.
All government schools are bound by government legislation, policy, directions and guidelines. While DEECD prefers to provide schools with guidelines that then enable them to make informed decisions at a local level, there are some directions with which schools and school councils must comply. It is important for councillors to be aware of their responsibilities.

8. School council sub-committees
All school councillors are expected to sit on at least one sub-committee
Other sub-committees might include:
Finance
Building and grounds
Education and policy
Community relations
Other – e.g. Outside School Hours Care, Canteen
Some examples of sub-committees
Schools may have sub-committees for things such as:
Finance – development of annual budget and presentation to school council for approval, monitoring of expenditure and reporting this to school council;
Buildings and grounds – planning and developing the school's facilities, such as its buildings and grounds; organising working bees and other actions to maintain or improve the appearance of the school;
Education and policy – developing the educational policy for school council, possibly monitoring the implementation of the strategic plan, and reviewing school data;
Community-building or community relations – developing ways for the school to work more actively with its community, both parents and carers and the wider community, and developing fund raising activities for the school, including sponsorship for school events;
Outside school hours care, if the school provides such a service – to ensure it is running effectively and legally; and
Canteen, if the school provides a canteen - overseeing the school canteen development of policy e.g. healthy eating policy.
Note: You do not have to be a school councillor to sit on a sub-committee. Non school council parents are very welcome to join sub-committees.

9. What is the role of a school council member?
Parent members bring expertise and views to council on behalf of the whole school community
DEECD members bring educational expertise and views to council on behalf of the whole school community
Community representatives tend to bring individual expertise to assist council in specific decisions
Role of school council members.
Parent members on school council bring their experience as parents at the school and the views of the wider school community to school council meetings. Parents have important view points and valuable expertise that can help shape the direction of the school.
The DEECD employees bring their educational expertise to school council meetings.
Community members, if they are on your school council, most often bring a particular skill to school council. They might bring accounting skills or building skills or some other skill that the school is looking for at that time.

10. Do I have what it takes to be on school council?
You need to be keen but you don’t need to be an expert
You need to like people and be able to work in a team
School councils work best when they have people from a variety of different backgrounds and have different experiences
You do need to be prepared to commit the time needed to ensure the work of council gets done
Do I have what it takes to be on school council?
You need to be keen but you don’t need to be an expert.
It helps if you like people and you do need to be able to work as a team member.
School councils work best when they have people from a variety of different backgrounds and who have different experiences.
You do need to be prepared to commit the time and effort needed to ensure the work of council gets done. The workload is discussed in more detail later in the presentation.

11. Why would I want to be on school council?
It’s a great way to get involved and have a real say in what your school is doing for its students
It’s a very good way to help present and future students of the school
Your children may feel a greater sense of belonging with the school
Why join school council?
Being on school council is a great way to get involved and have a real say in what your school is doing for its students. You get to both learn a lot and contribute a lot.
Being on school council is a very good way to help present and future students of the school. One of the roles of school council is to help set the future direction for the school.
Some school councillors have also found that their children have a greater sense of belonging with the school.

12. What is the workload?
School council must meet at least 8 times in each year, and at least once per school term
Meetings should be restricted to approximately 2.5 – 3 hours duration at most
All school councillors are expected to sit on at least one sub-committee. Sub-committees also meet at least twice each term
How much work is involved?
School council must meet at least 8 times in each school year, and at least once per school term. It is good practice to have 2 meetings per term.
Meetings should be restricted to approximately 2.5 – 3 hours duration at most
All school councillors are expected to sit on at least one sub-committee. Sub-committees also meet at least twice each term.

13. What about the elections?
The principal arranges and conducts the elections
These are held in February or March each year
If you decide to stand for election, you can arrange for someone to nominate you as a candidate or you can nominate yourself.
Your form needs to be returned within the time stated on the notice of election
Ballots are only held if more people nominate as candidates than there are positions to fill
Make sure you vote and encourage other parents to do the same
Some notes about elections
The principal arranges and conducts the elections according to strict governance guidelines outlined in the schools constituting Order, and in the Principals’ Guide to School Council Elections.
These are held in February or March each year.
If you decide to stand for election, you can arrange for someone to nominate you as a candidate or you can nominate yourself.
Your form needs to be returned within the time stated on the notice of election.
Ballots are only held if more people nominate as candidates than there are positions to fill.
Make sure you vote and encourage other parents to do the same.
Details of the election process are available from your school.

14. Where can I find out more?
The principal
School council president
Past and present school councillors
Community and Stakeholder Relations Branch (DEECD)
Volunteer for a sub-committee that interests you
Where can I find out more?
To find out more about what school council involves, talk with:
The principal.
School council president
Past and present school councillors
Alternatively, you can contact the Community & Stakeholder Relations Branch (DEECD) via at
You might also wish to volunteer to be on a sub-committee that interests you – you do not have to be a councillor to be on a sub-committee.

15. Professional development available for school councillors
On-line training packages and information sheets
Regional workshops and seminars
Professional development provided by peak school council organisations (e.g. VICCSO, ASCIV)
What training is available for school councillors?
A series of these training packages has been produced and are available on the DEECD website (whttp://
Fact sheets referring to specific roles and responsibilities or issues that school councillors face are also located on the website.
Each of the nine regional offices also conduct training programs for school councillors. Your principal can give you the phone number of the person in the regional office that you can talk with about training programs.
The Community & Stakeholder Relations Branch within DEECD also have people who can assist you with any queries regarding your role and function.
There are two organisations which your school council can become a member of and that provide ongoing training and development and support for school councillors. They are:
the Victorian Council of School Organisations (VICSSO)
the Association of School Councils in Victoria (ASCIV)

16. For more information
(What is a school council and what does it do?)
Association of School Councils in Victoria (ASCIV)
Victorian Council of School Organisations (VICCSO)