Principals guide to school council elections
The Principals Guide to School Council Elections has been developed to assist principals to understand and conduct school council elections in accordance with Ministerial Order 1280.
It provides detailed guidance on conducting the election process, advice on the stages of the election that must be followed, examples of good practice, relevant forms and schedules to be used and fact sheets for parents and students.
A complete set of schedules relating to elections can be found in the Principals guide to school council elections:
Induction
Induction materials for new school council members can be found in the School Council – Training and Good Governance policy.
These materials include a school council induction video and training options available on the Policy tab, and a sample ‘welcome’ letter for new and returning school council members on the Resources tab.
Student member category – alternative arrangement requirements
Student members on school councils provide unique perspectives that enrich school governance. Schools with students in Year 7 and above must have 2 student member positions on their school council, unless the school has sought and received an exemption from this requirement.
If you are a small school, a rural school, a special school, or if other exceptional circumstances exist that justify granting the exemption and your school council does not believe that it can identify suitable student members for their school council, the principal and school council president can apply for an exemption by completing the Student school council member – alternative arrangement form . The principal sends the form to the regional director for approval, demonstrating how the school council will seek student input into their school’s discussion and decision making.
Principals will be required to submit this information to their regional director for consideration by the end of Term 4.
Reviewed 10 February 2026