School Council News
Dear parents and guardians,
All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They have 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 is able to directly influence the quality of education that the school provides for its students.
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
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 the total membership of the school council. 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 experiences. Department employees are not eligible to be community members.
- A small number of school councils have nominee members.
For all schools with a Year 7 and above cohort, there is an additional category of membership:
- A mandated elected student member category, two positions.
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.
Please find the election timetable below:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Notice for election and call for nominations | Thursday 17 February 2022 |
| Closing date for nominations | Thursday 24 February 2022 |
| Date by which the list of candidates and nominators will be posted | Monday 28 February 2022 |
| Date by which ballot papers will be prepared and distributed | Monday 7 March 2022 |
| Close of Ballot | Monday 14 March 2022 |
| Vote Count | Wednesday 16 March 2022 |
Please complete the attached nomination form if you would like to be a member South Oakleigh College School Council: