To delay maternity leave?

[Bringonthesn0w]

I’m a teacher and due in August, which I always have off for obvious reasons. I feel a bit cheated that I would have to take maternity leave at the end of term and therefore the pay I would usually receive in August will be substituted with SMP. It also takes a month leave from me. My mum had a suggestion to set my maternity leave as the day the baby is born to get the full weeks paid without cutting into my holiday or maternity. I’d ideally like the full year off which would take me up until the summer holidays again, possibly only return for a week before summer holidays begin.
Now I know this may seem cheeky but AIBU to do it this way and would my workplace accept this?
(presuming I’m in good health and can work to the end of term which will be 18th July)

you can work right up til you give birth if you want so just do that?

FWIW I worked up til 38 weeks for similar reasons

of course you should take your mat leave from your due date. Completely reasonable.

That seems totally normal - I worked until 4 days before DD1 was born. An office job so it’s different to teaching, but plenty of people do it.

@BigBunkers she won’t be working though as it’ll be the school holidays

Of course you should put your start date as your due date in this situation. If you're not fit to work til the end of term then you'll have at least tried to maximise your pay.

You can work up till baby is here but everyone is different...I physically couldn't stand towards the end....wait till you see what happens....

Not clear what you mean. I worked until I was just over 39 weeks pregnant. I finished on the 28th and was due on the 2nd. DS was born on the 5th so I had a week off.
I cant see what you can't put your due date as the start of Mat leave as you will be off anyway

Should point out I NHS worker so on feet...I was signed off two weeks before

My SIL is a teacher and had a baby late august- she still had A/L up until baby was born then started Mat leave it wasn’t an issue at all for her!

Thanks, I just thought they’d expect me to take it from the last day of term as I wouldn’t physically be working anymore.
I have great support with two TAs and can sit down for most of the day so I don’t think I’ll struggle too much, but of course everything could change by then as I’m only 6 weeks at the moment.
Im also confused by my contract stating I need to give 4 weeks notice, but if I have to begin it early due to health how could anyone possibly give that much notice!?

I'm due in August too and plan on starting my mat leave on the day i give birth (teacher too)

When I was pregnant with first dc the only stipulation for remaining in work was confirmation from your midwife that it was
’safe’ for you to do so. (First at 34 weeks, then I think every 2 after then). Not teaching, so obviously I don’t know if your workplace require it, but it wasn’t hard to get.

Definitely put your due date down to start maternity leave! Outside of teaching, most people use some annual leave before their maternity leave starts, so its only the same as that! Only issue will be if baby comes early, as your maternity leave has to start when baby comes.

Of course you should. I know loads of teachers who wanted to return from May leave in September and they all officially went back for one week in July to get paid for the hols.

Just put your due date as the date for now and then update them with the actual day the baby is born and that's when mat leave will begin.
My baby was 4 weeks early and I actually went in to work on the morning she was born, left as I didn't feel too good, went to hospital and she was born by 8pm. Had to message colleague and say I wouldn't be in the next day! They updated my mat leave as I wasn't planning to start for another 2 weeks!

My contract said that too. It just meant 4 weeks from the planned leave date. It was never an issue when other staff had to go early for medical need. I wouldn’t give this part any thought.

Totally normal scenario for a teacher with a baby due in August. It's not like teachers get great maternity pay, why would you use up a chunk of your enhanced pay when you aren't physically in work anyway? Def make your due date your mat leave start date!

Completely fine to set the start of mat leave as your due date! I did this and would have thought that's the default anyway. I don't think anyone could reasonably take issue with that.

I'm also a teacher but due in early June. Going from my dates it looks like I'll be missing out on the June half term and, in my school, we officially work late one day a week and take a paid 'INSET week off' following the June break, which I'll also be missing out on! 😩 So annoying because I've done all of the extra hours and won't see any of the benefit. In your situation though, I'd definitely start mat leave from your due date and make most of the time beforehand.

I'm also a teacher. Ihad a September baby and set my mat leave to begin on 1st September. Remember you won't accrue annual leave like other professions.

My maternity started on my due date, if she'd have been early it would have just started the day I gave birth. She was a week late.....

Definitely put your due date. I think this is very common for teachers when there is a holiday before the due date. Many people work to 39/40 weeks anyway so your employer wouldn't be expecting you to start early just because summer holidays fall that way.
From what I remember, if you needed time off for a pregnancy related illness 4 weeks before your due date you'd automatically trigger mat leave, or if you gave birth.

It's a huge perk of being due in the summer holidays! I was due mid August with my DD and had 4 weeks summer holiday on normal pay before my may leave kicked in. Make sure you look into SPL for teachers as a way of being paid over any other half terms/holidays- it really helps.

Definitely put your due date, but just note that if you give birth before your due date you will usually have to change your Mat leave start date from the day / day after you give birth.

Yes of course. I teach and I didn't take leave until the day either was born. One was summer hols and one was Jan so I took leave the first day of spring term. Why would you not?!

Your due date will be on MatB1 form though so you can't lie.

I work in retail. Took 4 weeks holiday before due date. Started maternity the day before due date, he was born on due date ❤️