Any teachers here? V confused over SPL!!

[ChefMelanie]

Hi everyone. I wonder if there are any teachers here, that might be able to help me to understand "Shared Parental Leave".

So firstly, I was stupid, and thought that whilst off, I'd accrue all the "holiday" (e.g school holidays) I'd be missing (like 13 weeks or whatever), but it turns out teachers only get 5.6 weeks "annual leave".

Anyway, I've looked up, and I think Shared Parental Leave is a better option for me than Maternity Leave.

Would anyone who is less confused and smarter than me be able to confirm that I've got the below right? I want to take the full year I'm allowed, ans get as much renumeration as I possibly can:

Shared Parental Leave Option:
Shared Parental Leave is 37 weeks (39- 37 plus the two compulsory weeks leave).
Maternity leave starts 13th July.
6 weeks on 90% pay- 13/07/26- 23/08/26
(2 weeks is statutory, the other 4 goes towards SPL. So I'd have 33 weeks left).
'Return to work 24/08/26'. Full pay 1.5wk.
Start my first slot SPL:
02/09/2026- 18/12/2026 (16.5 weeks)
Return to work 20/12/26- Full pay for 2 wks
Start my second slot of SPL:
Mon 4th Jan to Fri 25th March (12 weeks)
Return to work 29/03/27. Full pay for 2 wks
Start 3rd and final batch of SPL:
Mon 12th April- Tues 4th May (4.5 weeks).
Weds 5th May- take holiday I would have accrued in 10 months, which would be about 4 weeks 2/3rds.
End SLP. Return to work: Mon 7th June.
I could be entitled to take 5 more weeks off after these, but these would be un-paid completely.
Take the last 5 weeks of leave, unpaid (£0!)
Return to work: Monday 12th July

Have I got it right?

Hi OP, have you been in touch with the company Teachers SPL?

https://www.teachersspl.co.uk/

I think most people go through them. It costs about £60 and they sort all the paperwork and dates for you.

I used them as did many people I know. Really recommend.

Hello, thanks for sharing this with me, I may take this route- although I would like to see if I could figure it out myself without having to spend £70. But yes this would be a good option B. Did you take the full year leave?

I don't know anyone who did it themselves to be honest.
I've ended up with about 11 months as I'm going back for a day before the Easter holidays so I get full pay for the holidays.

Good luck!

Are you sure about the 5.6 weeks annual leave accrual? 5.6 weeks is specified as annual leave in Scotland but not in England. Things might have changed with the shared parental leave thing but when I took maternity (a while ago) teachers didn't accrue holiday during maternity leave.

Yes, my company has told me I accrue 5.6 weeks during a year, and legally they have to give this to me (as companies can't take holidays away from people just because they are on maternity leave).

Company? Teachers have very weird contracts when it comes to holidays. Looking at union guidance about maternity leave, they never mention holiday accrual.

Hi,

Teacher and school leader here, coming to the end of my mat leave/SPL.

SPL is a fantastic option for teachers, and will extend the period of time you will receive both full pay and statutory shared parental pay.

It's important to know that employers can only legally refuse discontinuous requests. They can't refuse continuous requests (i.e. three requests submitted separately). In other words, if you ask for the three blocks of separate leave you have planned all at once, it may be refused by your school. You'll need to submit each new request for the next block of leave separately, usually at least 8 weeks before the proposed start date (but check your school's policies, for any further requirements or deadlines).

Sense checking your dates and questions, yes - this all mostly fine. However, usually you can only take SPL in full week blocks, not half weeks. Again, check any policies.

I'm assuming you get enhanced mat pay, and are not wanting to lose this if your school doesn't have enhanced shared parental pay?

Do you mind me asking baby's due date? Here is another option for you beyond the dates you have suggested (dependent on due date). This might extend the period you receive statutory shared parental pay and give you more time off:

1. Compulsory mat leave: 13th July (or baby's due date until the start of your summer hols)

Return to work for the summer hols, full pay (6 weeks)

1. SPL 1: First day of autumn term-first day of Christmas hols (approx 17 weeks? Adjust according to your term dates)

Return to work for the Xmas break, full pay (2 weeks)

1. SPL 2: First day of spring term-first day of easter hols

Return to work easter hols full pay (2 weeks)

1. SPL 3 until baby's 1st birthday/the shared parental pay runs out - whichever you prefer!

This website will actually sort it all for you, for a fee (I didn't use them but colleagues have successfully) https://share.google/jlEKO1naMPdFhdZa4

Good luck!

I should say - you're absolutely right, you can take up to 50 weeks SPL (minus the 2 weeks compulsory mat leave), and 39 weeks shared parental pay, minus any weeks of maternity pay. So the above suggestion may not work, depending on due date!

I paid the £60 on the teachersspl website as the website helped me understand it all and felt the lady who ran it deserved the money for making it make sense. I filled in the forms and asked my hr dept if I’d done them correctly and they were happy. I think I was the first to use it in my school (late 2023) and they have since made their own forms to use. I sent HR a link to the TeacherSPL website as it helped them too.