School Council 

Our School Council for 2020 has now met three times via remote video conferencing. This has enabled us to maintain a sound governing environment for the School, and continued connection and communication between parents, co-opted community members and School staff.

There is growing interest in how our School Council operates, what our terms of reference are and what our role is in reviewing and supporting policy, finance and community engagement. Much of this is driven by Departmental policy, guidelines and State legislation which directs what a School Council is - and is not - accountable for. 

The School Leadership team and the business support staff in the front office do a significant amount of work behind the scenes to run the School in line with the policies and practice which are set down by the Department of Education. Increasingly, the Department is centralising how it issues policies to schools, rather than 5-10 years ago when Schools needed to develop these in-house. This makes the governance aspects of the BNPS School Council far simpler and presents us with the more focused role of providing independent review and endorsement of 'how' the School is implementing these, rather than 'what' they are being asked to implement. 

A typical monthly School Council meeting is attended by a balanced representation of School staff, and parents/co-opted members. Each member has a voice, and all members are invited to prepare and table agenda items if they desire. Standing items which are discussed at each meeting include the School’s monthly financial reports, the Principal’s Report, Policies for review and endorsement, Sub-committee Reports, and Correspondence. During 2020 we have also been discussing engagement and communication as a recurring item. There is a lot to get through in 90 minutes, and it is common for us to take extra time to ensure we are giving each item the attention it deserves.

The Council does not address – and is not empowered to handle - matters regarding education delivery, staffing, enrolment or other matters which are between the School and each family. We are not privy to discrete matters between the School and families, nor should we be. 

A final note – congratulations on surviving a Term like no other! Many of our homes have been a little quieter and a little less frantic as our loved ones have returned to on-premises learning… and just as we’ve gotten used to that, School Holidays begin! 

I’ve had ongoing discussions with the School Leadership team regarding the impact of remote learning, how it has had an emotional impact on teachers and parents alike, and how we may respond together should/when the ‘next wave’ comes to our corner of the world. There are things that worked well, and there are things that we’d do differently. 

And, just like our children, that’s how we learn – together.

Best regards,

Alistair Lloyd

President, BNPS School Council

📧 BNPS.School.Council@education.vic.gov.au