Can I go back to work 3 days a week?

[CathyandHeathcliff]

So I work in a school, 5 days a week. I’m 25 weeks pregnant and I’ve told my headteacher when I’m going on maternity. She asked me if I’m planning on coming back. I said yes and mentioned I was thinking about doing 3 days a week.
She said we wouldn’t make any firm decisions yet, because I may change my mind and it’s a long time away.
I mentioned part of the reason was paying for expensive childcare.
Does this sound like she’ll be okay with it?

I'm due back to work in about 10 weeks (although my employer doesn't know I'm pregnant again 😬) and I submitted my request for flexible working hours 2 months ago. I'm going from FT to 2 and 1/2 days.

I'd definitely wait until after baby is born and decide then.

How can any of us answer that?

You have the right to apply for flexible working and they have the right to turn your request down for business reasons. Could you arrange another meeting to discuss this more clearly?

Personally my school couldn't confirm part time hours until after I had gone on Mat leave and had formally applied for a change of hours.

You need to put in a formal application to change your hours, legally your employer has to consider your request and then write to you with their decision. Nothing is legally agreed until you get it in writing.

Do it formally, in writing. My request was originally refused though we have now reached a ‘compromise’ (I have 3 days but it’s not all in my specialist subject). A friend has also just been refused. So once you’re on leave, send a formal request for flexible working and make sure you have your union rep on hand.

Sounds quite reasonable to me. No harm in having a chat about it now but you'll need to put it in writing officially. Not sure there's a need for a union rep at this stage but depends on your situation I guess.

Thanks all, so shall I wait until baby is here before I put it in writing?

I was advised to as there are certain criteria my school needed me to meet and it strengthened my case saying I wanted to spend time with my daughter. Saying that before she had arrived didn't make much sense. Your school should have a flexible working request policy which you can look at. That was where I found out how and when was the best way/time to apply. There are a lot of ways they can refuse it if they want to so I'd read up on it properly first if I was you.

In my school it is standard to discuss RTW/change in hours in the term before you wish to come back. Our procedure is book a meeting with principal, then from there submit a formal request. I have been super super lucky this time and did get my contracted changed for this September onwards (went on mat leave at the end of June to go back this time next year) to reduce hours from 3 to 2 days but only because the academy chain has forced cost savings and my department was one of those hit with potenial redundancy so they agreed now as it could count towards that!

You can request it but the company/school don't have to agree if there's a good business reason not to. I was only told a month before I returned (despite them knowing well before I went on maternity leave that I wanted to go part time) that I would have to come back full time or take a different job. It was a bit of a shock to the system. I suggest you consider what you would do if they say no so at least you're prepared either way.