St Joseph's School
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St Joseph's School meets legislative requirements and Ministry of Education guidance about opening and closing the school (Education and Training Act 2020, Education (When State Schools Must Be Open and Closed) Regulations 2024). This includes being open for a specified number of half days each year, observing the relevant term dates, and being closed on the holidays specified in the regulations. The board may need to vary when half days take place or may need to be open for fewer half days than required.
The board ensures our school is open for two half days per day from Monday to Friday during the term dates specified by the Ministry each year.
Planned closures
The board has discretion to close the school for a specified number of half days (as prescribed by the Minister of Education each year). We ensure that if we close the school we meet the 
criteria for closing.
If we need to close for more half days than the specified number allowed, this requires approval from the Minister of Education. The board ensures the proposed closure meets the criteria for closing and applies for approval through our local Te Mahau office.
If the school is closed due to a strike or lockout, the school is treated as having been open for the affected half days. During paid union meetings, the board ensures that the school remains open for instruction.
Unplanned closures
We may close the school due to an epidemic, flood, fire, or any other emergency. If we close the school for this reason, we notify the Ministry and may apply to the Secretary of Education to reduce the number of half days we are required to be open (Education and Training Act 2020, s 659).
We follow directives from the Secretary of Education regarding closing or opening the school during a state of emergency, epidemic, or transition period from a state of emergency (Education and Training Act 2020, s 653-657).
For more information, see Emergency Closure.
Varying school hours in a school day
Our school must be open for two half days per day. The board can vary the start and finish times of the school day, so long as one half day (at least 2 hours) ends before noon and one starts after noon. The board may vary school hours if they:
If the variation of hours is for operational reasons, is for no more than two days, and we haven't varied school hours during the previous six weeks, the conditions above do not apply.
Multiple timetable arrangements
The board may allow multiple timetable arrangements for a specified period of time with authorisation from the Minister of Education. Multiple timetable arrangements may be authorised if:
We follow any conditions that the Minister of Education may have included as part of their authorisation of the arrangements. Our school takes all reasonable steps to ensure that affected students attend school for the period that multiple timetables are running. See Student Attendance.
The principal assures the board that the school has been open for the specified number of half days, terms, and times. See Review Schedule and Board Assurances.
Release history: Term 2 2025, Term 2 2023
