What is a School Council and what does it do?
The role of the School Council is to support the Principal in the running of the school. All government schools in Victoria have a School Council. They are legally formed bodies that are given powers to set the key directions of a school within centrally provided guidelines. In doing this, a School Council is able to directly influence the quality of education that the school provides for its students. The role of the School Council is to:
The School Council does not manage the day-to-day running of the school, for example, it does not employ teaching or support staff, decide which classes students are placed in, sort out issues relating to individual teachers, students and/or parents. Such issues are of a management nature and therefore the responsibility of the Principal. School Councillors are not appointed to represent specific interest groups or permit special interests or personal agendas to dominate council business.
Decisions made by the School Council of Reservoir West Primary School reflect the best interests of the students and support the core business of the school - teaching, learning and student wellbeing.
Who is on the School Council?
There are three possible categories of membership:
Why is parent membership so important?
Parents on school councils provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills that can help shape the direction of the school.
Those parents who become active on a school council find their involvement satisfying in itself and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging.
The Reservoir West Primary School School Council meets usually once a month on Wednesday evenings. This equates to about two or three times each term. The meetings last about an hour and a half. School Council is the ultimate authority at Government Schools and is responsible for overseeing financial, curriculum and policy matters of the school’s operations. It also gives parents an inside view of how the school functions and an opportunity to take an active role in decisions affecting their children’s education.
How can you become involved?
The most obvious way is to vote in the elections, which are held in February or March each year. However, ballots are only held if more people nominate as candidates than there are positions vacant.
In view of this, you might seriously consider:
Do I need special experience to be on School Council?
No. What you do need is an interest in your child’s school and the desire to work in partnership with others to help shape the school’s future.
What do you need to do to stand for election?
The principal will issue a notice and call for nominations following the commencement of Term 1 each year. All school council elections must be completed by the end of March. For parents, this notice will be in the Newsletter or sent out on Compass.
If you decide to stand for election, you will need to complete a nomination form in either the parent category or DE employee category. Once the nomination form is completed, return it to the principal within the time stated on the notice of election.
If there are more nominations received than there are vacancies on council, a ballot will be conducted in the week after the call for nominations has closed.
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