Can teaching assistants leaving in July still receive August pay?

[Sprookjesbos]

Can anyone clarify the rules around TA contracts and notice periods in a state school?

I need to leave my job, it has got to the point that I know I cannot do another year. Having made the decision I feel immense relief, but I'm concerned about summer pay.

I can pick up some work in September (supply plus tutoring) but obviously this won't be available over the summer and I also have to look after my own children.

I naively assumed if I handed my notice in soon I could say I'd leave in July, give them lots of time to hire a replacement, win win. I used to be a teacher and whenever I left a job in July I'd get an August pay -my understanding was I'd already earned it.

However - friend has just told me this isn't the case for TAs. I thought this may force me into a situation where I email over the summer saying I wont be back -not ideal for school and would mean no goodbye to kids or colleagues which would feel awful - but friend said even if I do this they don't have to pay me August!

Anyone understand the rules on this? Feels really shitty if TAs don't get paid August because obviously they then save that money (replacement would start September) and I lose it with no way of earning for August. I have slogged my guts out for years at this school to the point I'm completely burnt out!

Can't you just resign but give your last day as 31st August?

Well that's what I was planning to do but apparently not, they can tell me it has to be given as the last day of term?

That's what I would have done as a teacher.

Do you have an HR or Personnel person at school you can speak to about it? Or ask your union for advice if you don't want to let your school know you're thinking of leaving? I think at my school TAs can get paid for August if they finish in July. Like you say, it's better for the school to know earlier so that they can recruit, but it'd be mad if that cost you 6 weeks of pay.

No, smallish primary school so no one I can ask really. Union is a good idea though, I'm a unison member so could give them a call.

I don't want to leave on bad terms with anyone I just really need the summer pay and it feels fair that I get it! Thanks for your advice.

If your contract is the standard 4 weeks notice you could hand in your notice on the very last day of term in July. Check with the union to see what they say, but I know someone who did this and got the 4 weeks notice paid to them without working any of it, as it was in the summer holidays. Alternatively, If you have a good relationship with the head you could discuss this before hand and let them know your intention to leave. You can always give the letter in and state your last working day will be 31st August. I did something similar . I handed my notice in February but I am in year 6 and didn’t want to leave until after SATs. I wanted to give the head enough notice as there are 2 EHCP children with medical needs in the class that need support for the last half term. This was agreed and I leave next Friday. I didn’t have it in me to stay beyond that. I have trained an existing member of staff over the last 2 months to cover the medical needs so it’s worked out well and the head was grateful for the advanced warning.

Thank you for that, I'm glad it worked out for you.

That does make sense. I don't feel right handing my notice on on the last day but I can see why people do to avoid this issue. Thing is even if I did that I'd still only be paid half of August but that's better than nothing!

Is it not just that TAs are paid term time only? That’s the difference.
Does your La run an SEN Summer play scheme or an inclusive one where you are paid more for supporting a child with SEN. Worth a look. They often need staff.

We are paid term time only with 5 of the 13 weeks holidays paid, but it is spread across 12 months in 12 even payments starting in September so theory the August pay is for hours already worked - that was what I thought anyway!

And thanks for that tip, it's a good one, but I have my own send child at home for the summer making summer work more complicated !

I’m a cover supervisor, which is paid at a TA grade and I resigned from a school last year and gave my leaving date as 31/8 so I got my August pay. I gave more than the statutory 4 weeks notice but I didn’t have to. I just wanted the school to have time to find a replacement.

Thank you!
It seems variable, which makes me think it's at the school's discretion. I think I'll call the union and find out if it's something I'm able to push back on.

I'm sure there's no rule that you finish precisely 4 weeks after you hand your notice in - it's a minimum, not a set timeframe.

I do see why resigning on the last day of July and having the summer as 4 weeks 'notice' seems last minute and difficult to recruit, but it can always be as little as 4 weeks and it's not as though they can't advertise within that time - probably just have to wait til Sept to interview. Quite normal for there to be a delay in a replacement starting.

That said, if you aren't moving anywhere specific that starts in Sept, why not resign to finish at the end of the month, so you do work your notice? (School still might not recruit until later in autumn term though)

You are paid differently - as your pay is stretched over the year - so you're actually not paid for the holiday. Even if they put your last day of work as the last day in the summer, they will need one more payment to make it OR they may end up paying you a bigger lump sum at the end. Either way - your salary must be paid.

its holiday pay for hours you have already worked but I have no idea how it’s calculated. It’s hard as you don’t want to leave them in the lurch and unable to recruit but don’t want to leave yourself short.

can you go back and resign and leave end of sept?

I’ve thought about it a bit more and the answer has come to me. Resign in the 3rd August giving four weeks notice take you to 31st August.

In your resignation date state the pay for the month of August is for hours worked pro rata since September 2025 and is including holiday pay.

HT here. It very much depends on your contract. If you are term time only, it is best to leave on the last day of term. You may well have accrued some holiday pay to be paid in August. Your HR / personnel will be able to tell
you. There should be a payroll telephone number on your pay slip and you can ring them up (your HT or school business manager doesn’t need to know) and ask them the best leaving date.

If you are term-time only, you won’t get paid over the holidays as you are not paid for them. If you do resign during the holidays, you could end up owing school some money.
Best bet is phoning payroll to ask.

Not always. In my LA and now MAT TAs are paid for term time only but this is divided into 12 monthly payments and includes statutory holiday pay.

Are you normally paid for August? If so then you should still be paid this year, you've done the same years work and it's not a retainer payment for September is it!

I could imagine some shitty schools trying to get out of paying you - I worked for a nursery once that refused to pay a teacher for August because they were leaving! I would certainly contact your union.

It shouldn't matter when you put your notice in either, if you've worked the year and you pay is split over 12 months for the year then you're entitled to get paid for the year. If you're paid hourly and don't normally get paid in holidays then obviously that's different, but it doesn't sound like it.

Surely all TA's are paid for term time work only - as they only work in term time?

The TAs at my school get 191 days of pay each year (term time plus 1) but this is divided into 12 month payments so they get paid in August but they don’t work August and are being paid for term time work.

So full time salary is pro rata to 39 plus 1 day weeks plus 5 weeks holiday pay.

So yes you get paid in August but you don’t earn any money in August.

@redboxerclub
So yes, my TA get paid in August as they get the term-time only salary averaged into 12 monthly payments. But they don’t ‘earn’ in August. It may fall into the statutory holiday pay but you would accrue that anyway in the months before possibly- without having to work it.

As said OP, it’s best to ask your Payroll dept for the best date to go and it depends on your contract. For all my TAs, it has been best for them to leave before the holidays start. One who handed in her 4 weeks notice in the summer holidays (for a different job) ended up with deductions from final pay as they hadn’t earn the holiday taken.

Ah right I get it. Thanks I misunderstood

OP listen to @captainflash not me

I think the union would be the best place to ask.

It’s complicated for TTO contracts that are divided up.

if OP handed in notice to leave on 22nd July, end of July pay could well be higher than expecting as payroll would work out if any holiday pay had been earned. OP would not be paid at end of August.
Have dealt with this often in my time as head.

Good luck whatever you decide to do OP. The job for all in schools is harder than ever and I don’t blame anyone for looking into alternatives

TTO workers who are paid for term time only but have their salary split equally over 12 months should be paid for August regardless if they leave at the end of the summer term. They have completed the full three terms of work so should be paid the full year’s salary from 1 Sep-31 Aug. Splitting the 39 weeks of pay over 52 means that some is effectively held back each month to cover the holiday periods, so that money is owed. Either it should be paid in full in July’s payroll, or OP should come off the payroll after the August pay date.

This is what I think. So makes sense to give 4 weeks notice in July 🤷‍♀️