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 chose the date of when it starts. My friend did this though as she was due in August and gave birth at 37 weeks with a week of term left. In that case maternity leave starts the day after you give birth.

Four weeks notice is what you have to give as an assumption everything goes ok to start Mat leave, so you can't just decide to go into work on a Monday and tell them you are starting maternity on the Tuesday

If you were advised by a Dr for whatever reason to start mat leave, then it starts from the date your Dr advised rather than 4 weeks notice.

My work colleague was going to start her mat leave 1 week before her due date so gave notice at 25 weeks pregnant of her intention to do this, however she was ordered to take bed rest from 29 weeks and had to start maternity leave immediately

Put your due date. I worked until baby was born in June, she came 2 weeks early over a weekend so just phoned on Monday and they adjusted my matb form to start from that Monday, not the sunday she had been born.

My mat leave started on my due week, I took my accrued annual leave to get me to that point. Most people I know do it this way, but I don't know anyone who has been a teacher who has taken mat leave.

I think your plan is most reasonable.

Also, if I had to go off early for medical reasons, my contract stated that past a certain point, if I had any sickness related to my pregnancy it would just trigger my mat leave to start (no need for the extra four weeks notice)

Thanks all, I don’t feel as cheeky now!
I only asked as we had a teacher who was due to come back after Christmas from maternity leave, but she handed in her notice. They are angry they paid her SMP for her to just leave, although I was under the impression that was legal. I don’t want to do anything to jeopardise good working relations.
Can any teachers shed light on the risk assessment if possible please? I won’t be telling them just yet, but Just to get a rough idea of what to expect the foreseeable future.

If you're in England/Wales check out Shared Parental Leave. This can give you some extra cash while on maternity as you can do short term 'return to work' periods during school holidays like Christmas.

You also have the legal right to start your maternity when you want (so long as baby isn't born) and to have your return date at the start of the holidays. For instance, you could put your start date for maternity as the estimated due date and then your return to work date as the first day of the summer holidays the following year so that you get full pay over the summer.

Hope that helps!

I work in HR in education. Most women on your situation put down their due date at their start date. If baby is born early then you need to let the school know. You might loose a couple of weeks if you go late.

There is no need to start your leave at the end of ten unless you want to.

Four weeks is standard as it's to give HR and payroll time to ensure you don't get over paid. If baby is early of course there is nothing you can do. That said, we have had reavers decide to go earlier than planned (usually with a weeks notice) and schools have left them. The alternative is they go off sick so there is no benefit to 'making' them stay at work if they don't feel they can.

When I had my risk assessment done I went through a standard form with hr and we decided if any changes needed to made. I'm secondary so it was things like checking my duty location and checking my desk chair was appropriate. I was also offered a later start to support with morning sickness. I'd recommend letting work know asap (even if only the head/hr) as this helps to protect you.

You don’t need to do this. You can return the first Monday of the summer holidays and you will be paid from then.

As well as your maternity start date, you might also want to consider if Shared Parental Leave can help with your pay and how the school holidays fall.

Teacher SPL website gives some case studies specific to the education sector....

www.teachersspl.co.uk/#:~:text=Shared%20Parental%20Leave%20is%20a,to%20three%20blocks%20of%20SPL).

My friend did this. She just had to get the midwife to sign something to show she was fit and well. Also don't forget when you do return, you can put the first day of the holidays so if you're having the full year off, put the first day of the summer holidays as your return date.
As for the four weeks notice thing, it's because if you go off within the last few weeks with a pregnancy related illness it triggers your mat leave

There are very few perks to teaching - just put your due date.

Eldest was born in November and I returned to work two weeks before the summer hols to be paid through August.

Youngest was born mid August and my ML didn’t start officially until the day she was born. I then put the first day of the following year’s Easter holidays as my return date to get paid through them.

All perfectly above board and in fact suggested by my head.

First baby due 9th July. I finished work 30th June. Baby born 18th July.

Second baby due April 6th. I finished work 31st March. Baby born 6 days late.

Id plan to work till end of term. Don't see why not

Oh 100% do this!!
My DS born beginning of September so put 1st sep but would have put due date if it was in August. Then went back for 2 days at the end of the summer term to get full pay over the summer!

Thank you everyone, lots of helpful kind replies so I appreciate it!

I would delay it as much as possible!

Also look up shared parental leave where you can get paid for 'working' during the half terms, except you'll get paid to be at home with your little one!

Have you done this? I did SPL with DH but didn't feel I could get away with "going back" for Christmas and Easter... did this actually work?

Officially start it the date the baby is born. Yanbu.
Two sept babies here and also a teacher. Mat pay for when you're off anyway. Not if you can avoid it.

Of course you can. I stopped working a week before I gave birth as I was a hairdresser and couldn't bare being on my feet all day everyday anymore.

You absolutely can, ex and I did this. Provided you are taking 3 blocks of SPL made up of whole weeks, they can't be legally denied. You can, for example, end mat leave on the last day of term 1, "work" the Xmas holidays, then go on SPL for term 2, "work" the Easter holidays, then SPL til last day of term 3. Teacher maternity pay is rubbish compared to wider public sector so I wouldn't feel bad about it!

This isn't my thread but I'm jumping in to ask about about SPL.

I'm due during the June half term. Could I end my mat leave at the end of July when summer hols start, then from September take SPL until October half term (2 weeks for me, whereas xmas is only 1.5 weeks) etc.? I wish I'd known about this when I had my first in July as my mat pay was through the summer hols 😪

I worked up until the day before I had mine. First I had booked May leave 2 weeks before due date but they were short staffed so stayed to due date (dd was 8 days late)
2nd worked until day before
if your due 26th august I would just say you want may leave to start on 26th august (if she arrived early you have to start May leave on the date she actually arrives)

@JagerPlease that would be fab as could buy DH some time off!

Yes, absolutely! You may find that your employer tries to tell you you can't, but you're entitled to do it. It's been 6 years since we did it, so I'm hoping employers are more aware of it nowadays but probably not