Rationale:

• To ensure the leave entitlements of staff are known, understood and equitably attended to in the context of the College Workforce Management Plan and to ensure the effective management of the operation of the college.

• To establish a set of known and equitable guidelines and processes for both teaching and education support staff.

• The Principal has the responsibility for managing all leave and leave requests, along with ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of the College.  Leave may be an entitlement (eg Family Leave), or may be awarded at the discretion of the Principal.  Leave may be paid or unpaid.  

• To ensure staff are aware that information in relation to leave is found in the Comprehensive Quick Guides to Edupay and Interactive Help available on HRWeb:    

Aims:

• To ensure all staff have a clear understanding of the types of leave available and their leave entitlements and they are kept informed of any DEECD memoranda and guidelines issued regarding leave.

• To ensure all staff have a clear understanding with reference to the granting of leave that Long Service Leave is an entitlement however the timing of granting the leave is discretionary, and can only be granted when a suitable replacement is available and can be funded from the School Global Budget.

• To ensure Leave Eligibility (quotations) via Edupay are produced on request by individual staff and that approved leave is entered via Edupay and College Business Manager to ensure staff personnel files are maintained.

Implementation:

As a teacher you are entitled to 20 days recreation leave (annual leave) per year (taken during school holidays). In general however, you are not required to attend school during school vacation periods although you may use this time to undertake professional development or some preparatory work.

In determining whether leave may be granted, the principal/manager will need to ascertain the entitlement of the employee to the leave for which he/she has applied and consider the impact the granting of leave will have upon the operations of the school/work unit.

Staff wishing to apply for leave should comply with the following procedures:

• For short term personal sick leave (including carer’s Leave – Refer Section 6.8 of the The Schools Reference Guide) and for Teachers TSO 186 or its successor, communication is through the Daily Organiser prior to 8.00 am on the day of absence

• For other types of leave including Long Service Leave and Leave without Pay applications must be in writing to the Principal. Requests for Long Service Leave and Leave Without Pay are required in writing through completion of the Staff Intentions proforma distributed to staff during Term 3 of each year for the upcoming year. 

• Leave applications will be considered in the context of the yearly School Global Budget (incorporating the Student Resource Package) and Workforce Plan.

Long Service Leave

• The Principal will make the final decisions on LSL applications having taken appropriate advice and after giving due consideration to both personal and College needs ‘factors’ in the context of Workforce Management Planning requirements and DEECD Policy Guidelines.

• Applications for Long Service Leave are to be for 31 days or longer so they are covered outside the school budget.

• Teachers of a VCAL class will not be granted Long Service Leave until students have completed the year. 

Leave Without Pay

• Applications for Leave Without Pay (LWOP) will be assessed in the context of the reasons normally considered appropriate for such leave, availability of replacement staff and other factors and the fact that such leave is normally not granted for continuous periods in excess of 12 months. 

• Applications for Leave without Pay are for 12 months only.

• Leave Without Pay will not usually be granted for any extended period in the first five years of tenure with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD).

Sick Leave

• A required document must be provided for personal leave which occurs either immediately before and/or after a period of long service leave, school vacation or public holiday. Where an application for personal leave requires a required document and one is not provided, the absence will be without pay.

• A Medical Certificate stating ‘Unfit for Duty” must be presented on return to work within 5 days.  Attendance Certificates can only be accepted for part day absences.  

• Confidential enquiries regarding any leave matter should be directed to the Principal.

• Applicants should enter their leave via eduPay Employee Self Service for all absences related to personal illness, personal injury or to care for an immediate family or household member who is sick and requires care and support or requires care due to an unexpected emergency.

• Medical Certificates should be provided when the Medical Practitioners have been consulted to preserve the entitlement to 5 days without Medical Certificate. Medical Certificates are required for:

• All absences over 3 consecutive days

• More than aggregate of 5 days without a certificate in any one year

• When the absence is immediately before or after a Public Holiday, Long Service Leave, School Vacation, a Stop Work day or when required by the Principal for a particular absence.

NOTE: Total number of days is restricted to 5 days in a calendar year without a Medical Certificate for sick and carers leave (i.e. not 5 days each)

• All staff that do not enter their leave by the end of Term will have that leave entered on eduPay as LWOP. Staff will be required to provide relevant supporting documentation to justify a reversal of the LWOP entry.

Bereavement Leave

An employee may be granted leave on full pay of up to three days on account of the death of a member of their immediate family or household for the purposes of making funeral arrangements and/or attending the funeral.

For the purposes of this section 'immediate family' includes:

• A spouse or domestic partner (including a former spouse or former domestic partner) of the staff member. A domestic partner means a person to whom the staff member is not married but with whom the staff member is living as a couple on a genuine domestic basis (irrespective of gender); and

• A child or an adult child (including an adopted child, a stepchild or an ex nuptial child), parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling of the staff member or spouse of the staff member. 

The principal may grant paid leave in other cases where, in their opinion, special circumstances exist. Special circumstances include the death of a:

• person with whom the staff member had a close relationship

• step or foster parent or child

• relative who has taken the place of a parent

• relative residing with the staff member at the time of the death

• person where the staff member is the only relative of the deceased person and is the only person available to make the funeral arrangements. 

Leave, with or without pay, in excess of that specified above may be granted if the principal is satisfied that three days is inadequate because of special circumstances (for example, funeral delay or extensive travelling involved).

In considering applications for bereavement leave, it is important to note that each case should be considered on its merits.

Bereavement leave would not normally be granted beyond the date of the funeral.

Summary Information: Where cancellation of leave is requested, the principal must be notified in writing as soon as possible.  Cancellation prior to commencement of leave or during the leave period may not be granted if this would affect the College financial position or contractual arrangements.

Note: Members of the Teacher Service are not entitled to Time in Lieu. Education Support Staff may have claim to Time in Lieu however approval must be sought before it is granted. If granted Time in Lieu must be taken in that calendar year.

Evaluation:

• This policy will be reviewed as part of the school’s three -year review cycle.

Ratified by School Council on: …………………………………………….