STAFF LEAVE

PR-6-18

PROCEDURAL DOCUMENT

Effective Date: 09-Mar-10
 

Rationale

The granting of leave to staff is authorised under the Employment contracts.  Discretionary leave with or without pay may be considered and determined from time to time by the Board of Trustees. 

Purpose

1. To state guidelines for applications for short, long-term and personal discretionary leave by staff.
2. To state procedures for the administration of leave.

Guidelines

1. Entitlement to Leave of Absence - Staff are entitled to leave of absence, with or without pay, as set out in their employment contract.

2.      Discretionary Leave

         (a)           Short Term Leave (1-3 days) - Short term leave applications should be made to the Principal for consideration.  Applications should be made with a clear statement of the reasons for the request. The Principal at their discretion may approve short term leave.

         (b)           Long Term Leave – (> 3 days) may be considered.  The application must include a clear statement of the reasons for the request.

-         All requests for long term leave should be put in writing to the B.O.T giving reasonable notice (reasonable notice for long term leave is considered to be at least one full term in advance).

         (c)           Personal Leave – emergency leave required due to an event in a staff members personal life that requires them to be absent from work, leave may be short term or long term.        

-         The B.O.T realises that personal circumstances may drive the need for staff absence and that these absences may occur at very short notice. The B.O.T delegates approval of personal leave to the Principal.

3.      It is imperative that reasonable notice be given where possible.

4.      The leave request should be discussed with the Principal where necessary before formal application is made. The following factors will be considered:

         (a)           Whether it is in the interests of the school.

         (b)           Any previous leave granted to the applicant.

         (c)           Whether relieving staff is available.

5.      Staff are advised to seek indicative approval for leave of absence prior to making any financial commitment. This indicative approval can be based on approximate dates of leave of absence. The B.O.T will honour any indicative approval so long as the final dates applied for are not significantly different to the indicative dates. Requests for indicative approval are to be in writing as well.

6.      The granting of discretionary leave is not necessarily automatic and may be granted with conditions attached, and requests for leave for periods longer than a year are unlikely to be granted.

7.      The B.O.T will approve leave of absence on a first come first serve basis based on the initial date of the request.

8.      The B.O.T will, under normal circumstance only approve leave of absence for one staff member only for any given period of time.

9.      If a leave application is refused by the B.O.T. this should be in writing stating the reasons for declining the request.

10.    The Board of Trustees will consider any dispute of interest regarding matters of leave.

11.    A record of all leave granted is to be maintained by the Principal or other designated person/s.