Does my maternity leave and pay stop during school holidays and then re-start when school re-opens?
There is a universal right to 52 weeks statutory maternity leave for all employees and if you work in a school, the holidays will not make any difference to that leave period because it runs continuously from the date you choose to start it. The earliest that you can start your maternity leave period is 11 weeks before your baby is due. However, if you know that you are likely to be on school holidays when your maternity leave is due to take place, you should think about when you choose to give up work so that you maximise your time off. For example, you might want to start your leave as early as possible if you know that the school holidays could dovetail into the end of your leave period. You may also be wondering about school holidays and their impact on your maternity rights because: You work on a term-time only contract which does not cover school holidays This will be relevant if you want to claim statutory maternity pay (SMP) or additional maternity leave after the birth. To cla
