Full maternity pay for teachers should be increased to 26 weeks across the UK, the General Secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union has demanded.
In his keynote speech to members at the NASUWT Annual Conference in Birmingham, Matt Wrack said it was a “national scandal” that many teachers leaving the profession cited poor maternity provision as a reason.
Teachers are currently only entitled to four weeks full maternity pay which will increase to eight from the 2027-28 academic year. The NASUWT will now campaign for negotiations with governments across the UK to bring in the 26-week measure as a step towards the required rapid improvements in maternity, paternity and flexible working rights for teachers.
New NASUWT survey data shows that 95% of teachers find it difficult to balance their work responsibilities with being a parent and that 70% of teachers have seriously considered leaving the teaching profession because of the impact of their work commitments on their children.
In his first Annual Conference speech Mr Wrack highlighted how many other areas of the public sector have better maternity pay, for example women firefighters in the West Midlands receive a year’s full maternity pay.
He said: “The DfE made great fanfare about the fact that 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.
“Just one example highlights how far we have to go: Women firefighters here in the West Midlands are now entitled to leave of 52 weeks on full pay.
“Too many teachers leave the profession. Too many women teachers in their thirties leave the profession. Too many women teachers leaving the profession cite poor maternity provision as one of the reasons for leaving. That is a scandal. It should be a national scandal.”
He added: “We should set out from this conference with our clear intention – together we will change this.
“Together we will win better maternity pay in teaching. Together we will win better parental leave and improved flexible working.
“Let us take up that challenge, together.”
