Labour Urged to Extend Fully Paid Maternity Leave for Teachers to 26 Weeks

Labour faces pressure to introduce a new policy extending fully paid maternity leave for UK teachers to 26 weeks, a move advocated by the NASUWT teachers’ union to help prevent a growing exodus from the profession. The union argues that insufficient maternity support is driving many educators to leave their jobs.

Matt Wrack, General Secretary of NASUWT, described the current situation as a “national scandal,” highlighting that inadequate maternity provisions are a significant factor behind teachers quitting. He addressed the Labour Party directly, stating: “The government has the power to make a real difference to the lives of teachers and their pupils. The question is not whether they can afford to adequately fund education, it is whether they can afford not to.”

Highlighting the human toll of current policies, Wrack shared a personal account from a teacher who faced challenges during pregnancy, including feeling guilty for taking necessary time off following health complications. This anecdote underlined the urgent need for improved maternity support within schools.

Although the Department for Education (DfE) recently doubled the period of full pay during maternity leave from four to eight weeks, Wrack criticized this as insufficient. “Doubling from not much still leaves us with … not much,” he said, noting that many public and private sectors already offer better maternity benefits.

In response, the DfE emphasized recent progress in teacher retention, stating, “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.”

Despite these assurances, unions continue to push for more comprehensive maternity provisions to support teachers and sustain the education workforce.