Parent engagement in Catholic schools

Family involvement and engagement is a key feature of Catholic schools.

As the first educators of your children, you have a great influence on your children’s learning and development during their school years and long afterwards.

We all know that when parents are involved in their children’s education at home, they do better in school. And when parents are involved in school, children go farther in school and the schools they go to are better.

To aid in the partnership between parents and the school, all parents agree to the TCS Parent Engagement Charter and TCS Parent Code of Conduct (from January 2025) as a part of the Enrolment Agreement.

Principals also work with their school community to determine which of the following parent engagement models will work best in their context.

School Advisory Councils

School Advisory Councils provide a forum for discussion and discernment, where the parent/guardian voice and perspective are available to inform and support the decisions made by the principal for the good of school - where the wellbeing and outcomes for students is paramount.

The following are some ways the School/College Advisory Council supports the school and the principal.

articulating and enacting the school’s vision and mission
promoting the school’s Catholic ethos and culture
promoting education programs, faith formation and development
in the development of school policies as required
in the interpretation of Toowoomba Catholic Schools policies within the school context
giving advice to the principal on issues such as the school strategic plan
engaging in discussion with the principal about the annual school budget and other financial matters
giving advice to the principal about master planning
giving advice in relation to capital resource planning and maintenance

All School Advisory Councils are governed by a constitution that is approved by the Executive Director: Catholic Schools on behalf of the Bishop of Toowoomba.

Support for Schools Advisory Councils is provided by the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office through Senior Education Leaders (SELs).

For further information we encourage you to contact your local principal to discuss how you can get involved.

Parents and Friends Associations (P&F)

The Parents and Friends (P&F) Association is one of the formal structures, that enables parents and families to come together to be informed, consulted and contribute to school planning and education programs and engage in community building activities, projects and events.

The P&F supports the principal and staff in providing the very best educational experiences for students by engaging parents in all aspects of school life. It acts as a representative of all parents/carers in the school, focussed on building community.

All P&Fs are governed by a constitution that is approved by the Executive Director: Catholic Schools on behalf of the Bishop of Toowoomba.

Support for P&Fs is provided by the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office through Senior Education Leaders (SELs).

For further information we encourage you to contact your local principal to discuss how you can get involved.

All P&Fs are supported by the peak body, Catholic Schools Parents Queensland.

Working with the CSPQ Diocese of Toowoomba

CSPQ Diocese of Toowoomba's role is to provide support, information, guidance and encouragement to each of the 32 local associations and Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office.

In addition, it plans and organises seminars and conferences and supports the work of Catholic School Parents Queensland.

Each of our 32 local P&Fs are urged to actively participate in CSPQ Diocese of Toowoomba and is entitled to representation on CSPQ Diocese of Toowoomba by nominating two delegates from each school.

At the State level our Diocese is represented by one delegate from CSPQ Diocese of Toowoomba as approved by the Executive Director: Catholic Schools and the Bishop of Toowoomba. Opportunities for other members to be observers at State meetings are available.

Find out how to get involved

If you are interested in discovering more on how you can become involved, please talk to your local principal to find out what is happening in your school, how you could become a delegate for your school and how you might attend one of the regular Diocesan meetings.

We also encourage you to visit the Catholic School Parents Queensland website or call or email their office at any time.

Parent Engagement Networks

The creation of a Parent Engagement Network (PEN) has come about in response to requests to consider an alternative model to the School Advisory Council and Parents and Friends Association, acknowledging the changing nature of families and schools and evolving ways of working together. Some schools have chosen this model as it works best for their context.

PENs continue to honour the place of parents and families in the life of our schools and colleges through providing an effective avenue for parents and families to come together to be informed, consulted and learn in relation to school planning, policy, decision making and education programs and engage in activities, projects and events that build community.

All PENs are governed by a constitution that is approved by the Executive Director: Catholic Schools on behalf of the Bishop of Toowoomba.

Support for PENs is provided by the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office through Senior Education Leaders (SELs).

For further information we encourage you to contact your local principal to discuss how you can get involved.

Parent engagement charter