Plan your leave, one step at a time.

Before choosing dates, find out:

1. Who your legal employer is: a local authority, academy trust, independent school, supply agency or another organisation.
2. Which maternity policy applies to your post. Ask whether it follows the Burgundy Book and request the current written policy.
3. Your expected week of childbirth (EWC) and the notice dates that apply.
4. How your continuous service is counted at the relevant qualifying dates.
5. Whether you may qualify for SMP, Maternity Allowance (MA), occupational maternity pay, or more than one of these.
6. If you are considering SPL, each parent’s eligibility, intended dates and the pay available in each period.
7. How school closures, annual leave, payroll dates, pension contributions and any return-to-work condition will be treated.

Get the answers in writing where possible. A general online example cannot confirm your own school’s policy.

An employee can usually take up to 52 weeks of Statutory Maternity Leave, regardless of length of service. It is made up of 26 weeks of Ordinary Maternity Leave followed by 26 weeks of Additional Maternity Leave. You do not have to take all 52 weeks, but maternity leave is one continuous period: it is not normally paused and restarted around school terms or holidays.

Maternity leave can usually start no earlier than 11 weeks before the EWC. If your baby arrives early, or you are absent for a pregnancy-related illness during the four weeks before the EWC, different automatic start rules can apply. At least two weeks’ maternity leave must be taken after the birth.

You normally need to tell your employer by the end of the 15th week before the EWC that you are pregnant, the EWC, and when you intend to start maternity leave. Your employer can ask for this in writing and should confirm your leave start and end dates within 28 days. If you cannot meet the usual notification date, tell your employer as soon as you can and explain why.

You can usually change your intended start date by giving the required notice. Check the current notice period with your employer before changing a date.

Sources Acas: planning maternity leave · GOV.UK: how to claim · GOV.UK: eligibility

Maternity leave and maternity pay are related, but they are different entitlements. You may qualify for maternity leave without qualifying for SMP.

Statutory Maternity Pay

SMP is paid by an employer to eligible employees for up to 39 weeks. Eligibility depends on service with the employer, average earnings, notice and pregnancy evidence. In 2026/27, the usual SMP structure is:

The 2026/27 figures are included for orientation and may change in a later tax year. Check the live GOV.UK rates and thresholds and maternity pay guidance before relying on a rate.

If your employer decides you do not qualify for SMP, ask for the required SMP1 form and check whether you may be eligible for MA instead. MA is administered separately and has its own eligibility rules.

Occupational maternity pay and the Burgundy Book

Some school teachers may have occupational maternity pay under the Burgundy Book or an employer policy based on it. A commonly cited Burgundy Book schedule for teachers who meet the relevant service conditions is four weeks at full pay, two weeks at 90% pay, 12 weeks at half pay (with SMP or MA, subject to the scheme’s cap), then statutory pay or MA for the applicable remaining weeks. The agreement describes the occupational arrangement; check your employer’s policy for exact entitlement, offsets and conditions.

Do not assume every teacher is covered by the Burgundy Book. Coverage can depend on your employer and contract. Academy trusts, independent schools, supply arrangements and other employers may use different terms. Ask which policy applies and how continuous service is counted. The NEU’s Burgundy Book maternity guide explains common categories and conditions.

Some Burgundy Book arrangements make part of occupational pay conditional on returning to work for a specified period. The NEU describes a 13-week return condition for the scheme it summarises. Check the exact wording that applies to you, including what happens if you do not return, return part-time, move between employers or take SPL. Do not assume what counts as a return or whether an exception applies.

How to check a maternity pay calculation

Ask payroll for a written breakdown showing the service and qualifying dates used; whether you qualify for SMP and occupational pay; each pay period and gross amount; how SMP or MA is offset; how salary, hours or allowances affect pay; any return or repayment condition; and who to contact if a figure seems wrong.

Teachers are often paid in regular monthly instalments, while statutory entitlements are described in weeks. Ask payroll how weekly entitlement maps to payslips and when adjustments appear. Do not compare one monthly payslip with a weekly statutory rate without checking the period it covers.

Sources GOV.UK: SMP · GOV.UK: Maternity Allowance · NEU: Burgundy Book maternity scheme

Maternity leave is a continuous statutory period. A school holiday falling during maternity leave does not, by itself, stop maternity leave or restart it later. The amount and timing of maternity pay depend on the statutory rules and your employer’s policy, not simply on whether the school is open.

Annual leave continues to accrue during statutory maternity leave, including bank holidays. You cannot take annual leave and maternity leave at the same time. Acas advises agreeing with your employer how much annual leave you will accrue, when you can take it and what can be carried over. Teachers’ contracts and working patterns differ, so ask how this works for your post and leave year.

Source Acas: holiday and maternity leave

SPL may let eligible parents share some of the first year of leave and statutory pay after birth or adoption. To create SPL after a birth, the mother must bring maternity leave to an earlier end, or end the relevant maternity pay or Maternity Allowance period early, and both parents must meet the applicable eligibility rules.

Eligible parents can share up to 50 weeks of SPL and up to 37 weeks of ShPP. The amount available is reduced by maternity or adoption leave and pay already used. SPL and ShPP must be used within the first year after the child’s birth or placement. Parents can take leave at the same time or at different times, subject to the rules and each employer’s process.

Each parent has a separate eligibility test. In broad terms, the birth parent needs to qualify for maternity leave, SMP or MA and meet the relevant notice requirements; the other parent must meet the employment and earnings test. The precise test depends on each person’s circumstances, so use the official checker rather than relying on a simplified summary.

Parents generally give employers written notices and declarations at least eight weeks before SPL starts. Leave is booked in whole-week blocks. A valid request for one continuous block must be accepted if legal conditions are met; a request for separate blocks with work in between is discontinuous and can be refused, although the employer may agree to it. Each parent can normally submit up to three booking notices, subject to the rules.

Before curtailing maternity leave: this is usually a significant decision that is difficult to reverse. A mother who returns to work cannot restart maternity leave. There are limited statutory circumstances for revoking a curtailment notice. Confirm both parents’ eligibility, dates, available pay, employer processes and any occupational pay conditions before sending notice. Ask HR, payroll or your union if anything is unclear.

Sources GOV.UK: how SPL works · GOV.UK: plan SPL and pay · GOV.UK: what you’ll get · GOV.UK: apply for SPL and pay · Acas: taking SPL

Before you notify your employer

• Find your EWC and the date 15 weeks before it.
• Read your contract and current maternity policy.
• Ask whether the Burgundy Book applies and how service is counted.
• Request an SMP and occupational maternity pay estimate from payroll.
• Check whether you may qualify for MA if you do not qualify for SMP.
• Ask how annual leave, school closures, pension contributions, salary sacrifice, allowances and payroll dates will be handled.
• Keep copies of notices and written answers.

If you are considering SPL

• Check both parents’ eligibility separately using GOV.UK.
• Confirm the maternity leave and pay already used and what could remain.
• Map proposed blocks against the child’s first birthday and the eight-week notice requirement.
• Ask each employer what enhanced SPL pay, if any, applies.
• Confirm what happens to any Burgundy Book return condition or occupational pay term.
• Compare monthly household income under different scenarios, then check tax, pension and payroll effects.
• Get advice before sending a curtailment notice.

Before sending forms or notices

• Check dates and employer details on every form.
• Confirm deadlines with each employer.
• Keep proof of delivery and copies of everything sent.
• Ask HR, payroll or your union to resolve conflicting policy wording before relying on a plan.

• Your school, academy trust or local authority HR/payroll team: ask for the applicable policy and a written calculation for your employment.
• Your union: ask about your contract, Burgundy Book coverage, service history, pay conditions or a disputed calculation.
• Acas: read the official guides linked above for workplace rights and options for resolving a dispute.
• GOV.UK: use the maternity and SPL guidance and planning tools for current rules and rates.