St Joseph's School
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At St Joseph's School, our commitment to being a good employer includes treating all staff fairly and equitably when managing staff leave. We also manage staff leave to support staff health and wellbeing, meet operational needs, and minimise financial risks to the school.
Staff are entitled to leave according to the Holidays Act 2003 and their employment agreement. If leave and holiday entitlements in an employment agreement provide better terms than the minimum rights set out by the Holidays Act 2003, entitlements are determined by the employment agreement. See Employment Agreements.
Applying for leave
Staff should submit leave requests well in advance of their intended leave date. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, leave requests must be submitted four weeks in advance. The school notifies staff of the outcome of their leave request as soon as possible.
Sick Leave
In the case of illness or emergency, teachers contact the school as soon as possible.
Leave to stand for parliamentary election
If an employee of the board intends to stand for election to Parliament, they must inform the board and take leave from at least nomination day to the first working day after polling day. The board can require staff members standing for election to take additional leave if the board believes standing for election means the staff member cannot satisfactorily carry out their work duties.
Managing leave
Certain leave is mandated by legislation, which is usually stipulated in employment agreements, along with other leave conditions. Discretionary/Special leave is leave that is not mandated by an employment agreement. Categorisation of leave as discretionary/special may differ depending on the relevant employment agreement.
The board manages and monitors leave for the principal. The board delegates management of staff leave to the principal while keeping management responsibilities in certain circumstances. The principal monitors staff leave balances (including sick leave), ensures staff are taking leave as required, and provides regular reports to the board. The board is responsible for monitoring all leave balances through these reports.
The table below outlines types of leave and who this is managed by at St Joseph's School. Management of leave includes considering applications, approving or declining applications, and notifying staff members of the outcome.
Type of leave |
Managed by |
Staff leave mandated by legislation and employment agreement |
Principal |
Staff discretionary/special leave – with or without pay, for 5 days or less |
Principal |
Staff discretionary/special leave – with or without pay, for more than 5 days and less than 6 weeks – a short-term reliever is employed for less than 6 weeks |
Board |
Staff long-term leave (more than 6 weeks) |
Board |
Principal leave |
Board |
The school considers leave requests and notifies staff of the outcome as soon as possible.
Approval of discretionary/special leave is based on a number of 
considerations. Notification of the outcome of a discretionary/special leave request is given to the staff member in writing, as soon as possible after the decision is made.
Unless there are exceptional circumstances, leave for periods of one year or more will only be considered for staff who have been employed for at least three years at the school. A year's leave should coincide with the school year if at all possible. Leave of less than a year should coincide with the school terms, beginning and/or ending with a holiday period if at all possible.
If a staff member on long-term leave chooses to resign rather than return to school, the usual notification period outlined in their employment agreement applies.
The school keeps a holiday and leave record according to the requirements of the Holidays Act (s 81) and our privacy and records retention policies.
Disregarded sick leave
Disregarded sick leave is leave taken for sickness or injury that is not deducted from staff leave balances. Conditions that may qualify for disregarded sick leave include contracting a notifiable infectious disease.
The board cannot approve disregarded sick leave directly, and must apply to the Ministry of Education for disregarded sick leave on behalf of a staff member. Staff should consult their relevant employment agreement for more information.
Cashing up annual holidays
As allowed by the Holidays Act, the school will not consider requests to cash up annual holidays.
Release history: Term 4 2024, Term 3 2023, Term 2 2020
