School Council and Subcommittees

All government schools in Victoria have a School Council. They are legally constituted bodies that are given powers to set the key directions of a school within state-wide guidelines. In doing this, a School Council can directly influence the quality of education that the school provides for its students.

For most School Councils, there are three possible categories of membership:

1. A mandated elected Parent category: more than one-third of the total members must be from this category. Department of Education and Training (DET) employees can be Parent members at their child’s school if they are not engaged in work at the school.

2. A mandated elected DET employee category: members of this category may 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.

3. An optional Community Member category: members are co-opted by a decision of the council because of their special skills, interests, or experiences. DET employees are not eligible to be Community 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 School Council 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.

How can you become involved?

The most obvious way is to vote in the elections, which are held in Term 1 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 standing for election as a member of the school council or encouraging another person to stand for election. You do not need any special experience to be on the School Council, all you need is an interest to take on an active role in your child’s school.

Subcommittees

If you are interested in being involved in our school, but not in the capacity of the School Council, you could join any of our subcommittees. Each subcommittee is chaired by a School Council representative, and anyone is welcome to join at any time.

Currently, we have the following active subcommittees:

1) Fundraising - the community engagement subcommittee is responsible for the planning and execution of all fundraising events throughout the school year. The money raised by these events goes directly towards purchasing equipment or funding school projects and priorities.

2) Buildings and Grounds - The PVNPS Buildings and Grounds subcommittee is responsible for planning and developing the school's facilities such as its buildings and grounds; organising working bees and other actions to maintain or improve the appearance of the school; provide advice to School Council on external groups who may be using the school’s facilities.

Communications - the communications subcommittee is focused on enhancing communication between the school and the school community with a special focus on our growing online presence.