Despite the growth in the numbers of school councils, there has been little analytical and conceptual research about this form of participation. A case study of a school council in a junior school was adopted in this study. Complementary theories of "competent participation" and "place in time and space" contributed to the central organising concept: organisational competence. While highlighting structural constraints such as the boundaried nature of the council's work, this concept promotes a focus on councillors' agency and action which included their contribution to the council's distinctive process and position within the school system.