School Council

Dear Families,

 We have 2 Parent Member Categories available if parents are interested in joining School Council.

Notice of Election-School council election process and timeline:

• Notice of election and call for nominations-Friday 30th January 2026
• Closing date for nominations-Friday 6th February 2026 4pm
• Date by which the list of candidates and nominators will be posted-Monday 9th February 2026
• Date by which ballot papers will be prepared and distributed-On or before Friday 13th February 2026

• Close of ballot-Friday 20th February 2026

   

  What do you need to do to stand for election?

You can arrange for someone to nominate you as a candidate or, you can nominate yourself in the parent member category. You can only benominated by another member of the same category that you are eligible for(e.g. a member of the parent electorate may only nominate another parent of that electorate). Department employees with a child enrolled at a school where they are not engaged in work, are eligible to nominate for parent membership at that school. Return your completed nomination form to the office within the time stated on the Notice of Election. You will receive a Nomination Form Receipt via post, email or by hand delivery. 

See Attached below

• Fact Sheet for parents
• Self-nomination-form-for-parent-member-category
• Nomination-form-for-parent-member-category

Hard copy forms can be collected from the office desk.

*From the 2026 school year, school council members, except VIT registered teachers , are required to hold a Working with Children Clearance (WWCC) (either a volunteer WWCC, or employee WWCC if they already have this), when nominating for a role on school council. 

What is a school council and what does it do? 

All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally constituted bodies that are given powers to set the broad direction of a school, in accordance with Ministerial Order 1280 Constitution of Government School Councils, and the Education and Training Reform Act 2006. In doing this, a school council may directly influence the quality of education for students.

Who is on the school council?

For most primary school councils, there are several possible categories of membership:

A mandated elected parent member category – more than one-third of the total members must be from this category.

Department employees can be parent members at their child’s school providing that they are not engaged in work at the school.

A mandated elected school employee member category – members of this category make up no more than one-third of membership. The principal of the school is automatically one of these members.

An optional community member category – members are co-opted by a decision of the council because of their special skills, interests or experience. Department employees are not eligible to be community members.

A small number of school councils have nominee members.

Generally, the term of office for all members is two years. The term of office of half the members expires each year, creating vacancies for the annual school council elections.

Why is parent membership so important?

Parents on school councils provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills and a range of experiences and knowledge that can help inform and shape the direction of the school. Those parents who become active on a school council find their involvement satisfying and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging.

Do I need special experience to be on school council?

Each member brings their own valuable skills and knowledge to the role, however, in order to successfully perform their duties, councillors may need to gain some new skills and knowledge.  It is important to have an interest in your child’s school and the desire to work in partnership with others to help shape the school’s future.