Talk

You need to start on your due date. Look at it this way - if you were due in term time no way would you be teaching until 40 weeks so you've got a bit of bonus extra time.

Oh, and if your due date is the 20th put that down. Just ask your midwife to alter it.

Thanks, @PotteringAlong. You are right
I rushed back to my doctors before closing, with my pregnancy notes so they are going to change the date on my matb1 for me.

I thought that your last working day had to fall in term time? i.e. 24th July etc. so that's when your leave has to start.

I thought the same as bamboo. Perhaps it changes between local authorities. I would check with HR.

No, you can start and finish maternity leave at any point.

Ah well that's good for OP then!

I second starting from your due date (the amended on of the 20th), then you get the max amount of paid leave.

If you give birth earlier, your maternity leave will automatically start then, BTW.

Don't forget that you can come back from maternity leave in the holidays. So if you want to take a full year off then come back to work on the first day of the summer holidays and you will be paid for the holidays.

You definitely have to start it from a Sunday if you're in a LA school as that's in the burgundy book t and c.

Again I thought you had to work at least one school day as technically teachers are not paid for their holidays.

I was in the same situation (with a slightly later due date) and all I knew was that I definitely didn't want to start the new term!! So I told HR I wanted my maternity leave to start on the last day of the holidays, or the date of the actual birth, whichever was sooner.

(In an independent school tho, so no Burgundy Book)