From the 2026 school year, school council members, except VIT registered teachers and students, are required to hold a Working with Children Clearance (WWCC) (either a volunteer WWCC, or employee WWCC if they already have this), when nominating for a role on school council. Current (as at commencement of Term 1 2026) school council members are not required to obtain a WWCC until they nominate for re-election/co-option. This policy, guidance and resources have been updated to reflect this change and other changes made to Ministerial Order 1280 (Constitution of Government School Councils) 2020.
Policy
The purpose of this policy is to provide information on conducting school council elections in accordance with the relevant legal requirements.
Summary
- Principals must conduct school council elections in accordance with Ministerial Order 1280 (Constitution of Government School Councils) 2020 (Ministerial Order 1280) including the requirement for parent and community school council members to hold a Working with Children Clearance (WWCC) when nominating for a role on school council.
- The school council election process for all government schools must commence no earlier than the first day of the school year and be completed on or before 31 March for the parent, school employee and student member categories.
- A Ministerial Order is required to hold an election outside of this time.
- By 30 April, principals must inform the Secretary of the Department of Education of the council membership by completing and submitting the Declaration of school council membership (formerly Schedule 7) online at the School Council Membership site in the School Council Portal (principal login required).
- The Principals guide to school council elections provides detailed guidance on holding school council elections. Principals must ensure they follow this guide throughout the school council election process.
Details
Ministerial Order 1280 specifies the total size of the school council and the number of members in each category of council. There are 3 mandatory membership categories for a school council:
- parent members
- school employee members
- student members – for schools with students enrolled in Years 7 and above.
Many school councils also have community members.
Further information about school council membership categories is available under School Council – Composition, Eligibility and Office Bearers.
All parents or carers of students enrolled at the school are eligible to vote for parent members, staff vote for school employee members, and students vote for student members. Community members are co-opted by the school council.
Principals must conduct school council elections in accordance with the Principals guide to school council elections . This will ensure that elections are conducted within the legal framework of Ministerial Order 1280.
School Council Portal – declaration of school council membership
By 30 April, principals must inform the Secretary of the Department of Education of the school council membership, by completing and submitting the Declaration of school council (principal or business manager login required) in the School Council Portal. This video provides a summary of how to access, complete and submit the new Declaration of School Council Membership.
Election complaints
Any parent, school employee or student eligible for nomination to the school council who is aggrieved by any matter arising from the conduct of an election may, within 14 days of the date of the declaration of the poll, make a complaint in writing to the principal.
If the principal receives a complaint it must be referred to the school's Regional Director as soon as possible. The Regional Director or nominee will establish a committee to review the complaint and determine how the complaint will be dealt with and resolved.
Privacy
All personal information, including personally identifiable information, collected as part of this policy by staff, contractors, volunteers and service providers at Victorian schools, must be handled in accordance with the Schools' privacy and Protecting personally identifiable information guideline.
Advice on privacy is available from privacy@education.vic.gov.au
Records management
All records created or kept because of this policy must be handled in accordance with the schools' records management policy and recordkeeping guidelines. This includes ensuring appropriate information security controls are in place and any hardcopy records are stored in a facility or location that is well maintained and secure from unauthorised access.
Advice on records management is available from archives.records@education.vic.gov.au
Related policies
- Records Management
- School Council – Composition, Eligibility and Officer Bearers
- School Council – Meetings
- School Council – Overview
- School Council – Powers and Functions
Relevant legislation
Reviewed 11 February 2026