This blog post shares some of the data we've collected over the years about how prevalent maternity and paternity absences are within schools. We will also provide employers with a five step guide to ensure that when a member of staff becomes aware of being pregnant or being matched to adopt a child, leave can be arranged and managed smoothly and positively.

Prevalence of maternity related absences in schools

Average length of absences 
The average length of a maternity absence is 246 calendar days. Whilst it is no surprise that maternity leave is considerably longer than other types of absences, this finding shows how challenging, financially costly and disruptive a maternity absence can be for a school without an insurance policy which includes maternity cover. 

The average length of a paternity absence is 10.75 calendar days. 

Top three causes of absence days 
Maternity is the biggest reason for absence days amongst teachers and school support staff. 40.20% of all days taken absent within schools are due to maternity. This is more than twice the amount of the next most prevalent cause of absences which is stress, responsible for 16.02% of all absence days. 

Prevalence of maternity related absences 
On average, 3.01% of all female staff within schools will take maternity leave each year.

Five steps for employers

1.  Direct your employee to your maternity/paternity policy 
Parental leave policies set out the occupational leave parents are entitled to. Exposing employees to this policy will ensure that the member of staff understands the benefits and leave they are entitled to thoroughly and accurately. For Shared Parental Leave and Statutory Shared Parental Pay, it is the employee’s responsibility to check that they are eligible.

2.  Explain notice requirements
Ensuring that employees request leave in alignment with the correct notice periods will allow the employer to consider what impact the leave arrangements will have on their organisation and how this could be mitigated.

3.  Discuss early intentions

Upon receiving notice of an employee’s intentions to take parental leave, seek an informal discussion regarding their plans. This provides an opportunity for the employee to talk about their preferences and what leave they plan to take. This allows the employer to get an idea of the type and pattern of leave an employee may wish to take, giving them time to consider how best to accommodate their absence from work.

4.  Notification of a leave booking

Employers will find it beneficial to have an informal meeting with the employee once they have received a notice to book leave. This can ensure a mutual understanding and avoid any confusion regarding the notification. In other words, the purpose of the meeting is to ensure that both parties are in agreement in relation to the leave arrangements.

5.  Communicate with one another
All best practice parental leave policies should include details about keeping in touch when an employee is on leave. Good communication arrangements can help an employee on leave feel attached to the workplace, their career and their colleagues.