School Council – Meetings

Holding virtual or hybrid school council meetings

School councils may use telephone or video conferencing to conduct school council meetings, including the first meeting after the poll to appoint community members and elect office bearers.

For a school council to make a valid decision, the meeting must have a quorum and members must attend either in person or by video or telephone.

Using Webex for school council meetings

Webex is the videoconferencing solution provided by the department. School councils may use this tool to conduct school council meetings virtually.

Using Webex requires:

• the principal, as executive officer, or their delegate, to set up school council meetings and send email invites to council members
• school council members to download and install the Webex App on the device of their choice (desktop computer, laptop or mobile device)
• if a school council member does not have access to a device, they can dial in to the Webex meeting using a mobile phone or a landline.

Tips for running online meetings

Virtual and hybrid meetings can be difficult to run, especially with people who are not used to participating online. There are a few tips which can help people adapt quickly, feel included and comfortable contributing and feel they have effectively contributed to decision making.

Preparation for the meeting

• Ask attendees in advance what they need to be able to contribute to the meeting effectively and following through with any requests (for example, ask if any attendees have accessibility requirements).
• It is important to be clear on the role of the executive officer, the chair and other school council members.
• Be clear on what you have to do to prepare — make sure everyone has the equipment they require, that it is working and that they know how to use it.
• Formulate an appropriate agenda. Touch base with the participants individually to receive and check agenda items.
• Where possible, distribute pre-meeting reading at least 5 working days before meetings.

At the meeting

The chair needs to be clear on what is to be achieved at the meeting and make sure all voices are heard. Going ‘around the table’, to provide everyone with the opportunity to speak, gives everyone a chance to contribute and can overcome any discomfort with the new format.

Use meeting protocols to facilitate the smooth running of the meeting. They include:

• where possible, use a headset
• use mute when you are not speaking
• allow the chair to manage the meeting
• the chair or meeting host should establish the way in which everyone can participate, some examples are:
  • use visual clues when you want to speak, for example, raise your hand
  • if only using audio, use the chat feature to ask to speak
• for each agenda item, the host asks participants in sequence to speak and follows up at the end for any further questions
• if the quality of the video conference is poor, turn off video and continue with just audio
• if the host is recording the meeting, notify all attendees and seek agreement prior to commencing the recording.

Follow up

• Ensure minutes are circulated.
• Follow up any questions.
• De-brief with people you feel may not have contributed because they were uncomfortable with the format.