School Council

 

At 208, our School Council comprises of eight parent representatives, five Department of Education representatives from the school and two representatives from the broader community.

What is a School Council?
  • is a legally formed body that is given powers to assist in the key directions of a school
  • is the major governing body of the school
  • plays an important role in school accountability and improvement processes
  • endorses the key school planning, evaluation and reporting documents.
What is the function of a School Council?
  • establish the broad direction and vision of the school within the school’s community
  • develop, review and update school policies
  • raise funds for school-related purposes
  • approve the annual budget and monitor expenditure
  • maintain the school’s grounds and facilities
  • enter into contracts (e.g. cleaning, construction work)
  • generally stimulate interest in the school in the wider community.
School Council does not
  • manage the school, employ ongoing teaching staff with no fixed date for termination
  • represent sectional interests
  • renew the principal’s contract or hire and fire the school principal
  • determine class allocations
  • discuss individual issues between teachers and   students and/or parents
  • purchase land or buildings
  • enter into hire purchase agreements or obtain credit or loan facilities, unless authorised by the Minister.
What qualities would I need to possess to be on the School Council?
  • you need to be keen, but you don’t need to be an expert
  • you need to like people and be able to work in a team
  • you do need to be prepared to commit the time needed to ensure the work of council gets done.
Benefits of being on School Council
  • it’s a great way to get involved and have a real say in what your school is doing for its students
  • it’s a very good way to help current and future students of the school
  • your children may feel a greater sense of belonging with the school.
What is the election process?
  • the Principal arranges and conducts the elections.
  • these are held in February or March each year.
  • if you decide to stand for election, you can arrange for someone to nominate you as a candidate or you can nominate yourself.
  • your nomination form needs to be returned within the time stated on the Notice of Election and Call for Nominations.
  • ballots are only held if more people nominate as candidates than there are positions to fill.
  • all school community members are encouraged to vote.