Maternity and changing school

[Bluepiano]

Hi,

I have been working at my school (an academy) for 7 years. I am due to start at my new school in September which is in a different LA and not an academy. If I’m lucky enough to get pregnant and start my maternity leave before I’ve been there a year, will I get the enhanced maternity pay? Ive asked our HR advisor but she’s not very clear. Does your length of service transfer with you when you move to another local authority?

No, not as a rule. I looked into this VERY carefully as I left my previous job when pregnant (relocation) so only got SMP.

Usually to qualify for enhanced maternity pay you need to have had a years continuous service 15 weeks before the expected week of childbirth. So that would mean to qualify for the enhanced package your baby would need to be due no earlier than 15 December.

It is a pain but best to be aware as I know a few people who think it’s just a years continuous service and it isn’t

But to be fair ‘enhanced’ maternity pay is only 12 weeks half pay (so 6 weeks pay) so not a huge amount

I'm perplexed by this as I too looked into it v carefully and understood it does transfer between LAs. If you were employed by the LA when your school became a an academy, your Ts&Cs should have been TUPEd over so that shouldn't be an issue. If you joined the school as an academy then yes you'd need to work for them for the minimum amount of time before you are entitled to OMP.

Thank you so much for your replies. I worked at my current school before it became an academy and my new school is not an academy but is in a different LA. Hope that makes sense.

You have to have been employed for a year and 11 weeks before the EWC. That 63 weeks. So you need to have been there for 23 weeks before conception before you are entitled to occupational mat pay. Theoretically.

You are unlike to be able to port your maternity pay with you unless same LA or MAT.

But this is ambiguous as your continuous service may kick in and they may give you the enhance. What is your scale point and fte? It won't be actually that much different to smp.

For SMP it to have been employed 26 weeks before 15 weeks before EWC. This equates to having been there one week before conceiving.

Sorry - it is 11 weeks before the EWC.

I honestly don’t think it transfers though. Two friends of mine were stung by this, and they both got SMP but not enhanced.

I’m on UPS3 so would make quite a difference to us. Im 37 so really don’t have the time to wait to earn the enhanced pay. Seems very unfair that it isn’t portable

I’m sorry you are being stung by this OP but it’s been widely known for as long as I’ve been teaching (nearly 20 years) that you can’t port your service entitlement for sickness or maternity pay unless you are moving within the same MAT or LA. I do remember hearing of some
reciprocal arrangements between neighbouring London boroughs where e.g. a teacher moving from a Southwark to a Lewisham LA school would have their service recognised but I never saw anything in writing so I am pretty sure that these were informal agreements rather than anything codified in policy.

thank you all so much for your replies. It’s my fault really; I should have looked into it before. Better start saving even more!