Interpretation of when school term 1 starts

[afterburner7]

hi all,

from a court order perspective, does school term 1 officially start when "students return" or when the school designates the days prior to the start of term for teachers to prepare.

Typically these extra days are considered part of the term?

E.g.

TERM 1 - Friday 24th Jan - New Staff Day
- Monday 28th Jan - Staff Return
- Thursday 30th Jan - New Students
- Friday - Students Return

thank you