Department of Education and Training

The school council is a body corporate with an approved constitution, whose members are made up of the school community. Under the Education Act and the Education (College and School Councils) Regulations, the school council is responsible for:

• advising the principal about the educational needs of the community
• building links between parents, community groups and the school
• assessing and advising on the physical needs of the school
• determining community use of school facilities
• managing the school’s annual financial budget
• overseeing work on buildings and grounds being carried out at the school
• employing school council staff

School councils represent the aspirations of parents in their community. They work closely with the school to improve school performance through the Accountability and Performance Improvement Framework (APIF).

School councils play an important role in helping their school community build effective partnerships to enhance student learning through the Australian Government Family-School Partnerships Framework.

Most council members are parents of children attending the school. Other members include the principal, teachers, invited community members and sometimes students.

School council constitutions guidelines (pdf 49 kb)
Attachment A - School council model constitution (word 101 kb)

School council information annual update

Each year the Department of Education and Training collects information about school councils, for administrative purposes and to disseminate information. Please complete the online form as soon as your school council has had its annual general meeting and elected its chairperson, and no later than 30 March 2012. It is a requirement of the Education (College and School Councils) Regulations that annual general meetings be held no later than 15 March each year without the consent of the Minister for Education.

Legal framework

All school council decision-making takes place within a framework of legislated powers and Department of Education and Training policies and guidelines.

Under sections 71(1) and 71(5) of the Education Act, the Minister may establish and incorporate a school council, a school management council or a group school management council. The main difference between these types of councils is the person or persons with whom the management of the annual budget lies.

• A school council elected under an approved constitution assumes relevant functions conferred on it under the Education Act or the Education (College and School Councils) Regulations, including the management of the annual budget.
• A school management council is established when the principal of the school is given the financial responsibilities of a school council.
• In a group school management council, a person appointed by the Minister is given financial responsibilities for small schools without their own school business manager/registrar. In many cases, a business manager/registrar is appointed to manage the finances for a group of schools in a region.

Principals of schools that sit under a school management council or group school management council will often establish a parent advisory group to assist them in the discharge of their duties and provide parents with the opportunity to have input into decisions that impact on their children’s education.

Schools that are governed by a school management council or a group school management council may also form their own school council. In this situation, the functions of the school management council or group school management council take precedence and the school council cannot, except with the approval of the Chief Executive, perform those functions.

The school council categories noted above are all established and incorporated under the Education Act. Incorporation protects individual school council members from claims made against the council and releases the council from the requirements of the Financial Management Act.

Functions

The school council is a body corporate with members elected by the school community under an approved constitution. It assumes relevant functions conferred on it under the Education Act and the Education (College and School Councils) Regulations. Broadly those functions are:

• assist with the implementation of educational policies within the school
• inquire into, identify and provide advice on the particular educational needs of the school community*
• assist to build links between parents, community groups and the school
• assess and provide recommendations on the needs of the school in relation to buildings and facilities, equipment, and needs of students and teachers and other staff*
• approve the school’s budget*
• determine and regulate the conduct of activities for the benefit of the local community served by the school when the school's buildings or grounds are not required for their usual purposes*
• exercise general control of the buildings and grounds of the school including, with the consent of the Chief Executive, controlling the conduct of work being undertaken on school buildings or grounds, within the terms and conditions approved in writing by the Chief Executive*
• control the manner in which prescribed services are being rendered for the school*
• advise the Chief Executive in relation to the job description for the position of principal
• advise the principal in relation to the job descriptions for teaching and school support staff
• employ persons to assist in the performance of the functions of the school council, in accordance with relevant private sector industrial awards and conditions*
• carry out activities to raise funds for the school. School councils are expected to organise only those kinds of fundraising activities which are acceptable to the school community and which do not contravene the law*

* Where applicable these functions are performed by a school management council or group school management council. Where a school has a school council in addition to a school management council or group school management council, the Chief Executive’s approval must be sought to enable the school council to perform any/all of these functions.