Maternity Leave

You can calculate your leave entitlement, payments and dates by entering a few details in our
Maternity Leave Entitlement Checker/Calculator.

More detail can be found in our Maternity and Adoption Leave policy.

Process

Member of staff notifies their line manager that they are pregnant
The line manager arranges for a risk assessment to be carried out and/or you can contact the safety office to discuss.
Member of staff forwards their MATB1 form to HR once they have received it (usually after 21 weeks of pregnancy), informing the university of the date when you expect to start taking leave and whether you intend to return to work for the University for at least 6 months following your maternity leave
You may also request to meet with your HR Business partner prior to this to go through the key points of the policy
It is helpful for the member of staff and the line manager to discuss a keeping in touch plan prior to maternity leave commencing. Also note that teaching staff have the opportunity to discuss timetabling restrictions with their line managers to allow flexibility where possible to fit in with childcare arrangements - this should be requested through the flexible working policy.
HR will write to you to confirm the start date of your maternity leave and your pay entitlement (after the MATB1 and details of leave have been received)
HR notifies the payroll and pensions team of individual’s maternity leave plan
Individual commences maternity leave

Please note if the birth occurs earlier than anticipated, and prior to the planned maternity leave period, maternity leave and pay will commence from the day after the date of the birth. You should inform Human Resources of the actual date of birth as soon as reasonably practicable.

Pregnant Staff Risk Assessment

All pregnant members of staff will have a risk assessment as soon as possible after informing their line manager of their pregnancy. This will be arranged by your line manager in collaboration with the Health and Safety team.

Further Guidance

There is further advice and information available for employees to help them through pregnancy and parenthood. Please visit www.pamassist.co.uk and then click CBT support. You will need enter these credentials to access the PAM Assist site:

Username: Aston
Password: Aston1

Frequently Asked Questions

How much maternity leave can I take?

There is a legal requirement for maternity leave to be taken for the first two weeks following the birth of your child.
Maternity leave is a single continuous period and is made up of 26 weeks’ ordinary maternity leave and 26 weeks’ additional maternity leave.
This means that you can take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave, regardless of how long you have worked at the University.

Will my maternity leave be paid?

If you have been continuously employed by the University for the twelve months leading up to your due date, you will be entitled to benefit from the University’s Occupational Maternity Scheme:

12 weeks’ leave on full pay (against which Statutory Maternity Payments are offset)
14 weeks’ leave on half-pay (plus Statutory Maternity Pay) at the appropriate rate, except to the extent that the combined amounts exceed full pay), and
13 weeks’ Statutory Maternity Pay at the appropriate rate
up to 13 weeks’ unpaid leave

If you have been employed by the University for less than the twelve months leading up to your due date, but you became pregnant after your employment started, you may be entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay, which is paid for 39 weeks.

To qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay you must have been employed by the University continuously for the 26 weeks up to and including the 15th week before your expected due date, or in other words, you must have become pregnant after starting work at the University.

Statutory Maternity Pay includes:

6 weeks at 90% of your average weekly earnings
33 weeks at the Statutory Maternity Pay flat rate (for the current SMP rate please visit https://www.gov.uk/maternity-pay-leave/pay)
You are able take an additional 13 weeks of unpaid leave

If you became pregnant before starting employment at the University, you will not be entitled to receive Statutory maternity Pay, but you may be entitled to Maternity Allowance.

If you are not eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay you will need to request an SMP1 form from payroll in order to apply for maternity allowance
You can then make a claim for Maternity Allowance by completing the form MA1 and returning in it to Jobcentre Plus.
Academic staff (as defined in the statutes) who were in an academic post on 1 April 2011 have a protected right to receive maternity/adoption pay as follows: '26 weeks’ leave on full pay (against which SMP Payments are offset) '26 weeks’ leave on half-pay (plus SMP at the appropriate rate, except to the extent that the combined amounts exceed full pay)

What should I do first?

Notify your line manager that you are pregnant and let them know your due date. Ideally, this will take place at least 15 weeks before your due date.
You can arrange to meet with your HR Business Partner who will explain the key points in the policy.
You will also need to notify your line manager who will arrange a risk assessment.
You can start your maternity leave any time from 11 weeks before your due date, up until the day of birth.
You will need to notify your line manager and HR of the date that you would like your leave to start at least 28 days in advance.
When you have your MATB1 (after the 21st week of pregnancy), you will need to hand this in to HR.
Please note that one of the conditions of the Occupational Maternity Leave scheme is that you will return to work for at least six months following your leave or the University will reclaim the non-statutory element of your maternity pay.

Can I attend ante-natal appointments?

Regardless of your length of service or contract type, you are entitled to reasonable time off work for ante-natal care.
Time off for these appointments is paid at your normal rate of pay.
Appointments should be arranged in consultation with your line manager.

What happens with my annual leave entitlement?

While on maternity leave, you continue to accrue your annual leave entitlement.
You can add holiday to the beginning or end of your maternity leave. We encourage staff to take their annual leave in the correct leave year.
You will be able to discuss the best options regarding how to incorporate annual leave with your HR Business Partner.

Can I apply for study leave while I am on maternity leave?

Time on maternity leave counts as time working at Aston for the purposes of applying for study leave.
Your line manager will be able to advise you about whether you are able to apply for study leave while you are on parenting leave.

Can I apply for academic promotion while I am on maternity leave?

Yes - you are entitled to apply for promotion while on leave. You may wish to talk to your line manager to ensure that you are sent any information about the annual promotion round.

Can I take advantage of training and development opportunities offered by the University while I am on leave?