Media
St Matthew's Primary School Hastings has procedures in place to ensure successful interactions with the media.
At our school, the designated media contacts are the board chair and/or principal. The board chair and principal may work closely to prepare a response to a media enquiry, and determine together who speaks to the media.
Receiving a media enquiry
Our process for receiving a media enquiry is to record:
- the name, organisation, role, and contact details of the person enquiring
- who the enquiry is for
- what the enquiry is about
- whether they are contacting any other staff, schools, or organisations.
If the issue is serious, potentially controversial, or sensitive, or there are employment, legal, or privacy considerations, the school may choose to respond in writing only. We may also seek advice from the Ministry of Education, NZSTA, or a media advisor. If the media enquiry is about a traumatic incident, we follow our Crisis Management procedure, which contains information about working with the media in these circumstances.
Our designated media contact maintains a record of all communication with media.
Professional Development
St Matthew's Primary School Hastings provides equitable opportunities for professional development (PD) to meet identified needs. The board is committed to ensuring all staff participate in ongoing, pertinent professional development related to school strategic goals. See School Planning and Reporting.
We recognise that professional development:
- ensures staff are informed about the latest developments in education
- builds staff capability and competence
- enhances the quality of teaching, learning, and school support services
- is an integral part of our performance management system
- is a central factor leading to student success.
Criteria for approving professional development
- Professional development should support staff to stay up to date with current local, national, and international education practices.
- Professional development hours are treated as work hours, and considered when determining staff leave entitlements.
- Applications must be endorsed by the principal. If the principal is applying for professional development, the board must endorse the application.
- Each application is based on its own merits. No decision should set a precedent for future staff.
- Centrally-funded PLD (professional learning and development) should meet one of the priority objectives as set by the Ministry, and align with the strategic direction of the school.
Funding
Professional development is approved as budget allows. Plans for professional development should be presented to the board before the budget is set each year, and reflected in annual budgets to support ongoing professional growth. The expense must be reasonable and comparable to other expenses that provide similar value to the school.
Staff Conduct
Our Employer Responsibility Policy sets out the steps we take to meet our obligations and commitments as a good employer.
We expect all employees to maintain proper standards of integrity, conduct, concern for the wellbeing of students, and public interest. All teachers are expected to fully understand the expectations of Our Code, Our Standards, which applies under the Education and Training Act 2020 to all certificated teachers.
Staff conduct is monitored through:
All staff members are expected to read, sign, and abide by our school's staff code of conduct .
Breaches of standards
All concerns about staff conduct are documented by the school, and managed through the concerns and complaints procedure.
Concerns about staff conduct, in and out of school, are filed and kept for the board "in-committee".
Concerns about serious misconduct are investigated through the concerns and complaints procedure, and advice is sought from appropriate individuals and agencies such as NZSTA, insurance companies, legal professionals, teacher unions, and regional Ministry of Education staff. The Teaching Council provides more detail on reporting conduct concerns .
The school follows the mandatory reporting guidelines of the Teaching Council
Staff Leave
As part of our commitment to being a good employer, St Matthew's Primary School Hastings has a staff leave policy that promotes fair and equitable treatment of staff, supports staff health and wellbeing, ensures we meet operational needs, and minimises financial risks to the school.
The board delegates management of staff leave to the principal while keeping management responsibilities in certain circumstances (see table below). The principal monitors staff leave balances (including sick leave), ensures staff are taking leave as appropriate, and provides regular reports to the board. The board is responsible for monitoring leave balances through these reports, and managing and monitoring leave for the principal.
Staff are entitled to leave according to the conditions of 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.
Leave applications
Where applicable, staff apply for leave using the leave application form.
We request that staff submit leave applications well in advance of their intended leave date. The school considers applications as quickly as possible.
The school notifies staff of the outcome of their leave request as soon as possible after a decision is made. The school keeps a holiday and leave record according to the requirements of the Holidays Act (s 81).
Leave management
The table below outlines types of leave and who this is managed by at St Matthew's Primary School Hastings. Management of leave includes considering applications, approving or declining applications, and notifying staff members of the outcome.
Discretionary leave includes any leave that is not specified by an employment agreement. Categorisation of leave as discretionary or non-discretionary may differ depending on the relevant employment agreement.
Type of leave
- Leave according to conditions of an employment agreement, e.g. annual leave, sick leave, bereavement/tangihanga leave, parental leave, family violence leave, jury service and witness leave
- Discretionary leave, with or without pay, for 5 days or less
- Discretionary 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
- Long-term leave (more than 6 weeks), e.g. study leave, sabbatical leave, refreshment leave
Additional leave types and considerations
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.
Leave to stand for parliamentary election
St Matthew's Primary School Hastings staff, as employees of the board, are able to stand for election to Parliament. If a staff member intends to stand for election, 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 carry out their work duties.
See Circular 2017/02 School Staff Standing for Election to Parliament .
Cashing up annual holidays
St Matthew's Primary School Hastings follows the requirements of the Holidays Act (s 28) when managing cash-up requests for annual holiday entitlement. As allowed by the Holidays Act, the school may adopt a policy that allows the board not to consider cash-up requests.
If the board does consider requests to cash up annual holidays, the staff member is advised in writing of the outcome. Annual holidays may not be cashed up unless the staff member has completed 12 months of employment and submitted a request to the board in writing. The board may decline cash-up requests and is not required to provide a reason for this. Employment agreements cannot require or prohibit cashing up of annual holidays. Other conditions and processes for submitting a cash-up request may be specified in employment agreements.
At St Matthew's Primary School Hastings, the board will not consider requests to cash up annual holidays.
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