Union Calls for Extended Fully Paid Maternity Leave to Retain UK Teachers
The NASUWT teachers’ union has called for the full maternity pay entitlement for teachers across the UK to be increased from four weeks to 26 weeks. This measure aims to address the significant number of women in their 30s leaving the teaching profession.
Matt Wrack, general secretary of NASUWT, described the current situation as a “national scandal,” highlighting that many teachers who resign cite insufficient maternity support as a key factor. He emphasized that government efforts to retain teachers would be ineffective without urgent enhancements to maternity, paternity, and flexible working entitlements.
Recently, the government announced plans in its schools white paper to double the period of full maternity pay for teachers from four weeks to eight weeks, starting in the 2027/28 academic year. This was presented as the first improvement to national maternity pay for teachers in over 25 years.
However, Wrack reminded delegates at the NASUWT annual conference in Birmingham on Friday that maternity pay provisions are considerably more generous in other public and private sectors. For example, female firefighters in the West Midlands are entitled to 52 weeks of leave on full pay. Wrack, a former firefighter and ex-general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, was delivering his first conference address as NASUWT leader.
Women in their 30s represent the largest demographic leaving teaching. An NASUWT poll of 2,000 UK teachers revealed that 95% found it challenging to balance their teaching responsibilities with parenting, and 70% seriously considered resigning due to the impact on their children.
More than three-quarters (77%) of respondents who had taken maternity, paternity, or adoption leave in the past five years expressed a desire for longer leave but were financially unable to do so.
The survey also uncovered instances where some school managers failed to support pregnant teachers and their partners, with reports of refusals to allow attendance at antenatal appointments.
One teacher suffering from severe morning sickness requested arrangements to leave her class if she needed to be sick but was denied and had to vomit into a bucket in a classroom cupboard.
Another teacher recounted:
“I had to have minor surgery whilst pregnant. Was made to feel guilty taking time off. Had to leave work on three occasions as I was bleeding. Was suggested by headteacher that I was overreacting. Turned out I had an abnormal growth on my cervix.”
The NASUWT plans to campaign for negotiations with governments across the UK to implement the 26-week fully paid maternity leave measure as part of broader efforts to improve maternity, paternity, and flexible working rights for teachers.
Wrack addressed NASUWT members:
“The DfE made great fanfare about the fact that the period on full pay for maternity leave would double. Of course that sounds good – until we dig a little deeper.
“Full maternity pay will indeed double, from four weeks to eight weeks. But when we start to look deeper, the fanfare fades. The truth is that many parts of the public sector and the private sector already have much better maternity provision. So doubling from not much still leaves us with … not much.”
In response, the Department for Education (DfE) stated:
“Last year saw one of the lowest rates of teachers leaving the profession since 2010, and we are already delivering on our pledge to recruit and retain 6,500 more talented teachers with over 2,300 more secondary and special schoolteachers in classrooms this year.”
