Leave Policy
St Patrick’s Catholic School
Rationale
There are many aspects of Leave that are not covered in the various Collective and Individual Contracts of the employees of St Patrick’s Catholic School. The Board strives to be a good employer and to have clear processes in place. The Board’s priorities are:
to ensure all staff are treated fairly.
to establish leave approval procedures that are clear and consistent
to provide guidelines for granting leave of absence decisions
to ensure the staffing needs of the school are met
Guidelines
The Board will comply with all statutory and contractual requirements pertaining to leave entitlements
All leave requests for over five days will be submitted to the Board through the Principal.
Sick Leave
All sick leave exceeding five days (or as agreed in the employee’s relevant employment contract (three days for support staff, two days for caretakers) is to be supported by a Medical Certificate stating the period of absence.
Discretionary Leave
Each application for discretionary leave must be lodged on the appropriate form
Applications for an extended period of discretionary leave (that is, more than five days) must be lodged to the Board of Trustees at least two months prior to leave commencement
Leave applications will be confidential to the applicant, Board and Principal. Any discussion on such leave is to be dealt with by Board in committee
The Principal has authority to grant discretionary leave, both with or without pay, of up to five days. The below guidelines form the basis for such approval:
o the impact the leave may have on the operation of the school
o the financial position of the school
o the purpose of the leave
o previous approved requests for discretionary leave
In considering the purpose of the leave the principal should consider if the event the leave is sought for can be reasonably expected to be moved to a holiday or weekend
A staff member may request that the Personnel Sub-committee/Board review a declined request for leave decision.
Bereavement Leave
Bereavement Leave will be granted at the discretion of the principal, as outlined in the relevant employment contract
Bereavement Leave may also be granted for an unveiling or blessing of a grave if these fall during working hours
When granting this leave the principal will consider
o the closeness of the association between the employee and the deceased
o any significant responsibilities for arrangements of the ceremonies related to the death
o the amount of time needed to discharge obligations
o the need for travelling time
Maternity Leave
Maternity leave will be granted in accordance with the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act and the appropriate employment contract
Recording
A Leave Form must be completed by the staff member for every type of leave (sick, discretionary and bereavement)
All Leave is to be recorded in the Leave Calendar, together with the name of the reliever, if one is being used
The Office Manager has overall responsibility for ensuring that relieving hours are recorded and paid correctly
Ratified: 24 August 2022