Secondary school teachers- when did you take mat leave?

[TLKYoung]

Hi all. In my first trimester. Due in JAN 2026. I appreciate everyone's pregnancy is different but would any mind sharing what week of pregnancy they went on mat leave? Not sure whether to give myself 2 week, 4, or more before my due date.
Thanks

I had my DS in Jan 2021. I (stupidly) planned to go till my due date to get paid over Xmas hols. I ended up starting mat leave a week before the Xmas hols began. It was just under 5 weeks before I gave birth. I was so relieved as I was exhausted by that point. If I had another, I would definitely give myself at least a month before.

Some other teachers I know did go right to due date but I could not take it. It’s a tiring enough job already without the third trimester.

I would just stop at Xmas you won't want to be waddling around a school. Or come back just for the first inset day so you get paid over holidays

I'm also a teacher and I'd go until the Christmas holidays, starting my mat leave first day back. Unless you're due late January?

With my first I did the same at October half term with my Nov born baby. So I started my mat leave at around 38 weeks (but had HT off so really 37 weeks).

I'm due this September with #2 so I won't be returning after the summer (32 weeks) but won't start my mat leave until the beginning of September when I'll be 38 weeks.

Depends on your job. But you want as much leave as possible after baby is born.

I’d say you’ll want the leave after rather than before. Not a teacher but son was a January baby and I stopped at Christmas.

I started maternity the first day of the January term, so got paid properly for the Christmas holidays. You don't need to go in to do this, you just have to name it as your mat leave start day.

Congratulations! That’s a great due date for a teacher - start your mat leave on the first day of the new term. That way you get paid over Christmas and get a bonus few weeks off!

If you’re due right at the end of Jan and you’ve had a healthy pregnancy you could probs go a bit longer if you wanted to. I managed 3 days before my due date as head of science in a large secondary school! However 2nd pregnancy I had 2 weeks off before my due date as the toddler was killing me off tired wise anyway 🤣

Good timing! Start your maternity leave the date of return to work in January and you will be paid for working over the christmas/new year break.

I would be going on maternity in December 2025 at the end of term.
Not only can you wind down and prepare for birth but it means that the person covering you can take over at the start of term.

But then it means you are taking maternity pay instead of full teacher salary over the Christmas holidays and have to go back to work sooner.

First was an April due date - can't remember when I went off but she arrived the 1st week of the eastet break! Thinking 37/38 weeks...

Second was a late Sept due date,
First day of ML was the first day backteaching in September (I went in for the inset day so could finalise any handover notes) so I got full pay over the summer.
Third was a Jan due date, First day of ML was the first day back in Jan, so got full pay over Christmas.

Thank you all so much! So so helpful! Im due late jan so looking at your responses I think I'll start mat leave after Xmas hols to get paid! (Cheeky how they do it)
Thansk again

I set my mat leave to start 6 days before my due date. I ended up having the baby on what was meant to be my last day in school... I left work on the Thursday and had a baby in my arms 20 hours later! However I think how late people want to go will vary depending on the time of year. For me, things were winding down in May with students revising for exams, and I felt well in myself so I didn't find work a struggle. Might be different in winter just after the long autumn term! But my logic is I want the leave to last as long after baby arrives as possible. I'll now be able to set my return to work day as the first day of May half term next year so I get paid for the holiday, and be back in school for one term before summer holidays next year (the quietest teaching term - winner!).

I am a secondary school teacher and had my first early Jan '22. I went up to Xmas so I was almost 38wks and my ML started in Jan. My second pregnancy was due at the start of October I was planning to go to 38+1 but that's when I had her! So I was 37+5. Good luck!

Start your mat leave the first day of the January term. Look at https://www.teachersspl.co.uk/
To see how you can get paid for the holidays throughout mat leave too.

I'm primary and due early January. I will start my mat leave on the first day of the January term so I'll get paid over the Christmas hols.

With my first, she was due at the beginning of August so I worked untill the six week holidays but didn't start my mat leave until the was actually born. I then went back to work for the last week of the summer term so I got paid over the six weeks.

38 weeks x

I worked up until a week before my due day with my first. I felt fine with a good pregnancy and glad I did it as I ended up going 10 days over anyway so had plenty of time to rest. Second I planned the same but I was in pain with my hips/pelvis and was exhausted (pregnancy with a toddler is a whole different ball game) so I ended up going two weeks before that time.

Definitely advise looking into shared parental leave too to get paid for some of the holidays after enhanced pay part is over, gives a few more paid weeks to have off.

I started my Mat leave at 36 weeks with DC1 and it was far too early.

I started at 38+2 with DC2 and 39+6 with DC3.

DC1 and 2 were both 42 weekers and by the time I got to DC3 I assumed that finishing at 39+6 would give me 2 weeks off before they were born!

Definitely do teachers shared parental leave
Wish I had
I went at 40 weeks both times

I was planning on starting mat leave first day after a half term but I had a complicated pregnancy and I had a week or so notice of needing a c-section at 37 weeks, so I was at work on the Friday, had her on the Tuesday in half term. I could have requested to start my leave sooner but I was broke at the time so chose to stay and also meant I could do a hand over to my covering teacher. I would have loved some time by myself.

personally I’d prefer to save the time for when you have the baby/end of Mat leave, but everyone is different of course.

look up teacher shared parental leave - there’s an amazing website that explains it all for teachers. I was technically back at work for Easter hols and May half term on normal pay, but didn’t actually start back until first day of the summer hols, so Sept 1st.