Confused about Maternity Leave...

[ThenewMrsB82]

Hi Everyone,

Maybe it's just baby brain but I have read lots of maternity docs and rights etc.. in fact I think I've read every webpage out there and still don't know how much notice I have to give to go on Maternity leave.

I am a teacher, the gov.uk website says that I can go on 12th April at the earliest but I'm not sure when I have to tell my employer if I want to go at this earliest possible point.

I know I have to tell them 15 weeks before the baby is due but that's only about a week before I intend on going on leave so I definitely can't leave it that long.

Any advice is very welcome, thank you.
x

It would be courteous to give them as much notice as possible. When do you plan to tell people about your pregnancy?

If you go on ML at 26 weeks PG and the baby is 2 weeks late then you face 16 weeks of wasted ML you could have spent with your baby... Your choice of course but food for thougt... I'd work on another 10 weeksto 36 weeks

You have to tell them by 15 weeks prior to the due date...or 25 weeks pg. you say that leaves a week before you intend to go off? are you really going on maternity at 26 weeks pg? If so..I think the earliest you can actually go off is 29 weeks.

I would be open and honest from now though. Book a meeting with your head and voice out your thoughts. they'll need to find cover and there's no harm in talking to them about it.

Remember though that your maternity rights at work dont start untill you tell them, for example if you do lifting or are on your feet constantly (you are entitled to extra breaks and sitting rests etc) also it might be hard to hide if you feel sick etc. But legally you dont have to tell them till 15 weeks before like mentioned. Ive told my employer straight away as I was being sick and didnt want to be penalised, also co-workers in general have been pretty supportive

she said she is a teacher, so presumably if you take out easter holidays, half term and summer holidays she is actually only using up around seven weeks of actual maternity leave prior to the baby arriving?

Ask the secretary or HT at your school as they'll probably know or phone the HR dept at your LA.
I'm in Scotland so might be different but we have to give 21 days notice of when we want to take leave or if we want to bring it forward.
Give them as much notice as you can so they can arrange cover and organise for you to have time to hand over too. My secretary asked me at the beginning of December in case I wasn't planning to return after Christmas and she'd need to get adverts in.

Is it not 15 weeks before you plan to go on leave that you have to tell them? Rather than 15 weeks before you're due? I'm about at that point now, and panicking because no-one seems to be able to give me my MATB1

Elledouble I got my MATB1 form at 26 week MW appointment and when I handed it in I was told they normally get it at 28 weeks.
Certainly not 15 weeks notice -but you do have to tell them you're pregnant around then I think.

I had to tell them at 6 weeks because I was signed off with chronic sickness. (Also everyone guessed because I look like I'm six months pregnant already). I can't bend down to the little tables properly I keep having to run out of class to throw up. I've been in hospital, the parents are getting a bit restless with me having to take time off and the children are really unsettled with having supply teachers (year one). I know it's the best thing to go off ASAP as it's not fair on everyone. I'll have a good 9 months off with my baby and then I can think about what to do after that.

It's a bit confusing as usually teachers have to give a term's notice, my husband seems to think that it's 28 days but I wasn't so sure.

Anyway, thanks for the help everyone, ELLEdouble I hope you get it all sorted soon. x

Ooh thanks Jenny, that makes me feel a bit better . Good luck OP, I'm sure they'll be understanding given that they've had fair notice.

Apple unfortunately it doesn't work like that, wish it did! We get the leave not including hols. If you start it at the end of a holiday you get that holiday paid, for example my last week is the end of this term, then it's the week off and my leave starts the first day of the New term, so I get a bonus week as it were. I could go back for the last day of term this year and get the extra 6 week's holiday paid. But that's too early for me!
OP I get 4 weeks full pay, then 2 at 90%, then 12 at half pay, then just statutory mat pay for 21 weeks, then nothing.
I think you should tell your boss asap. You have to tell them by 25 weeks I think. I did just because I knew it would take a while to find a good replacement and I wanted to know where I stood with that.

Sorry the other replies hadn't refreshed when I answered! Good luck with your leave and baby!

www.tesfaq.co.uk/maternity

All you need to know is here. You need to give 3 weeks notice of the date you intend to take maternity leave. TBH if you are hoping to work there afterwards you should give people as much notice as possible- the need to get cover and that isn't easy.

PS Holidays aren't taken into account when it comes to maternity leave.

OP I would get signed off if I were you. No point in going off on maternity until much much later but if you're ill then get signed off.