Annual Closedowns for Secondary and Area School Teachers
Annual Closedowns for Secondary and Area School Teachers
Closedowns, as provided for by sections 29 – 35 of the Holidays Act 2003, mean that secondary and area schools close for operations, and their teachers required to take annual leave.
While the secondary teacher is on annual leave, the school cannot require the employee’s attendance by way of clause 5.6.2 or 5.6.3 of the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement or clause 4.7.2 or 4.7.3 of the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement.
Most schools have this closedown between the end of Term 4 and the start of Term 1 of the following year.
Before a closedown, what actions are required of schools that follow the standard 4-term calendar?
The closedown period begins after the completion of the half days the school is required to be open for, as set out by the Minister of Educationopen_in_new under regulations 6(1) and 7(1) of the Education (When State Schools Must Be Open and Closed) Regulations 2024.
In 2026, most schools will start their closedown on 16 December 2026 and finish on 18 January 2027.
Schools that will not have completed the required number of half days by 18 December 2026 will need to determine the appropriate start date for their closedown based on the completion of half days and advise the Ministry of Education at employment.relations@education.govt.nz by 1 December 2026.
The closedown period must be four weeks (excluding any public holidays that fall within it).
School boards employing secondary or area school teachers need to confirm the start and end dates of their closedown period and then provide notice of the closedown to affected employees.
This notice must not be given any later than 14 days before the closedown begins. It is recommended that notice be given as soon as possible after the board has confirmed the closedown period.
This notification letter for EOY closedownopen_in_new can be used to give the employees notice. A copy should be kept and placed in the employee’s file.
Before a closedown, what actions are required of schools that operate using an alternate calendar?
Boards of schools that operate an alternative calendar will need to identify and approve an appropriate time in their calendar to observe the closedown.
The board then needs to give notice of the closedown to the affected employees.
This notice must not be given any later than 14 days before the closedown begins. It is recommended that notice be given as soon as possible after the board has decided the closedown period. Please also advise the Ministry of Education of the dates selected by emailing employment.relations@education.govt.nzopen_in_new.
This notification letter for EOY closedownopen_in_new can be used to give the employees notice. A copy should be kept in the employee’s file.
Actions required of schools across the year:
- Boards should confirm (or determine when appropriate) the closedown period as early as they can, and ensure adequate notice is provided.
- Ensure that employees responsible for payroll and the tracking of leave have the resources and understanding of the new requirements.
- Ensure adequate documentation and recording of the taking of annual leave – especially if it falls outside the annual closedown.
Templates, resources, and references
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Links from us
Education (When State Schools Must Be Open and Closed) Regulations 2024
New Zealand Gazette
Education Payroll (EPL)