Welcome to VICCSO

VICCSO provides advice and support to State School Councils across Victoria. It is an independent, democratic organisation of over 500 school councils working towards achieving the best possible education for all in Victorian Government schools.
VICCSO is a strong advocate for a free, secular, universal public education system in Victoria. With a proud history as an independent organisation, we have spoken up on issues that undermine public education for the last 84 years.
Today we are working towards 'excellence in education' for all Victorian students through:

• encouraging excellent governance practices within schools
• promoting evidence-based approaches to teaching and learning
• highlighting the need to reduce the achievement gap for students of lower socio-economic backgrounds
• building a strong partnership between schools and parents
• advocating on behalf of members

We provide information and training for schools about governance best practice and the roles and responsibilities of school councils. We have a thorough understanding of Department of Education policies and guidelines, the Education Act and other legislative frameworks relating to the operation of school councils. We work closely with teacher representative bodies to improve community awareness about teaching practice and professional standards. (See Jacinta Cashen's article 'Parents as Partners'). Member schools are kept up to date with the latest educational research, policy changes and developments and offered opportunities participate in education events, forums and conferences.

We also advocate on behalf of member schools and parents and are funded solely by members.

For more information about school councils see 'For School Councils'
We have pages dedicated to Parents, Teachers and Students about their participation in schools particularly around governance. Parents can find comprehensive information about making a complaint in a Victorian government school on the 'For Parents' page.