New ‘Right to Disconnect’ Legislation: What It Means for Shore Families

At Shore, we are committed to ensuring our dedicated staff maintain a healthy work-life balance. The new Federal ‘Right to Disconnect’ legislation supports this by setting clear boundaries between work and personal life, allowing our staff to fully disconnect from work-related communications outside their regular working hours.

This legislation applies across various sectors, including education, and means that our teaching, administrative, and operational staff have the right not to respond to work-related emails, phone calls, or messages after their working hours.

We understand, however, that families often need to reach out outside of these times due to busy schedules, and we want to assure you that we will continue to address all inquiries in a timely manner.

Here’s a brief overview of how this impacts communication within different parts of our School, and a letter has been emailed to all families. You are encouraged to read this letter as it provides further detail.

• Early Learning Centre:  Staff are contactable between 8 am and 6 pm, aiming to respond within 72 hours for non-urgent matters.
• Preparatory School: Staff are available between 8 am and 4 pm during Term time, with the same 72-hour response time for non-urgent queries.
• Senior School:  The standard operating hours are 8 am to 4 pm during Term time, with the same 72-hour response time for non-urgent queries.  While students can email or message teachers after hours, staff are not required to respond until the next working day.
• Boarding:  Boarding staff can be contacted between 7 am and 10 pm during Term time. The Health Centre remains available 24/7 for emergencies, and staff are also contactable out of these hours in case of an emergency.

Our commitment to your child’s education and wellbeing remains unchanged. This legislation will not affect the high standards of support and care that Shore is known for.