How to review your family and parental leave policy
Use our key questions to review your school's or trust's family and parental leave policy. See what good looks like in our model policy and look at examples from schools and trusts.
Contents
Key points to look out for
Clear procedures for managing each type of leave
Note that your school or trust may have a different name for this policy depending on its scope – for example, you may have a standalone maternity policy, or a policy that covers a wider range of family-related leave. Regardless of your policy's cope, it should set out, for each type of leave:
- Who's eligible
- The length of time staff members can be off for
- When the leave can start
- How to claim it
- Time frames for notifying the school/trust of any changes of plans (if relevant)
- Whether it's unpaid or paid
What staff should expect and who to speak to when arranging leave
Your policy should clearly outline:
Procedures and rights when returning