Understanding Shared Parental Leave (SPL)
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) offers a fantastic opportunity for teachers to receive pay during school holidays that happen to fall within their maternity/adoption leave! While some teachers feel that holiday accrual and maternity/adoption pay could be more in line with other professions like nursing, the police, or the private sector, SPL really steps in to provide a valuable option. It’s a unique way to ensure teachers maximise their time with their little ones and still benefit from those much-needed extra weeks of full pay.
WHY IS SPL BENEFICIAL FOR TEACHERS?
HOW IT WORKS
While maternity/adoption leave must be continuous, SPL can be taken in up to three separate blocks. The unique benefit for teachers is that if you “return to work” during a school holiday between SPL blocks, you’ll be paid in full without actually having to go into school. Your employer cannot require you to work during this time unless all staff are also required to.
WHEN TO START SPL
You can apply for SPL at any point, even after your baby is born/child has been placed with you. You just need to give your employer 8 weeks’ notice that you wish to end your maternity/adoption leave and start SPL. For most teachers, we recommend starting SPL once occupational pay has stopped.
SHARING THE LEAVE
Once you’ve curtailed your maternity/adoption leave, you and your child’s other parent can share any remaining statutory pay (up to 39 weeks total) as you choose. They can take no leave, take time off with you, or take time off when you’re back at work (provided they qualify). Statutory pay pauses when you return to work between SPL blocks and resumes when you go back on leave. All leave must be taken before your child turns one/within 1 year of placement.
If the father/your partner actually wants to take SPL, and is eligible to take leave themselves, they can take leave at any point during the year – at the same time as you, when you are ‘returned to work’ or when you have genuinely returned to work. If they don’t take SPL, their pay will not be affected at all by your leave/ return to work. If they do take leave, the entitlement to 39 weeks statutory pay will be shared between you. Have a look at our Case Studies (including our founder’s own) for examples of this!
PAY DURING SPL
Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) is paid at £194.32 per week, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if that amount is lower. This mirrors Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), with one key difference: during the first 6 weeks of SMP, payments are set at 90% of your average earnings with no upper limit.
Some schools or Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) offer enhanced Shared Parental Pay (ShPP), which might match their enhanced maternity/adoption leave pay (e.g., 6 weeks at 90% and an additional 12 weeks at 50% plus statutory pay). If your school doesn’t have an SPL policy, assume you’ll receive only the statutory payments. If your school doesn’t offer enhanced ShPP, you can choose to start SPL after you’ve received any enhanced maternity pay you’re entitled to (like the initial 6 weeks at 90% or any 50% pay period).
To maximize your pay:
– If your school only offers basic Shared Parental Pay (ShPP): Plan to use up any enhanced maternity pay before starting SPL. However, if your enhanced maternity pay ends around the summer holidays, it might be better to switch to SPL sooner to get those 6 weeks of full pay for the holidays.
– If your school offers enhanced ShPP: You’ll have more flexibility in how you structure your leave.
EXTENDING MATERNITY LEAVE BEYOND A YEAR WITH SPL
For teachers considering over a year of leave, the optimal way to plan your Shared Parental Leave (SPL) largely depends on your baby’s due date. If you commence your maternity leave before your baby’s due date, you may be able to extend your total leave period beyond 12 months. This is achieved by fully utilising your 52 weeks of Shared Parental Leave entitlement, provided you return to work by your child’s first birthday. This flexibility is possible because any “return to work” during school holiday periods does not reduce your overall leave entitlement, effectively allowing you to maximise your time with your child while on leave