Parents and baby

Summary of Shared Parental Leave Entitlement

Please see below the answers to some of the most common questions regarding Shared Parental Leave. Further information is available in the Shared Parental leave policy or from Human Resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much Shared Parental Leave can I take?

You can take up to 50 weeks Shared Parental Leave between you and your partner depending on how much maternity or adoption/surrogacy leave you or your partner have taken.

For example if you decided to take 18 weeks maternity leave out of your 52-week entitlement, the remaining 34 weeks could be converted in to Shared Parental Leave. This leave can then be divided between yourself and your partner.

How can Shared Parental Leave be taken?

You and your partner may choose to take SPL at the same time or at different times, as long as the total leave does not exceed what is jointly available to you.

You may choose to take continuous leave, which is a block of leave with one start and end date, or discontinuous leave which is a leave pattern where you return to work between two or more periods of Shared Parental Leave.

For example, if you give notice of your intention to end your maternity leave, you can convert the remaining leave into SPL which is shared between yourself and your partner. Your partner could then choose to take a period of SPL during your maternity leave or after you have returned to work. You could also choose to alternate periods of SPL with periods of work so that when you are at work your partner is on leave and vice versa.

Will my Shared Parental Leave be paid?

Entitlement to paid Shared Parental leave is dependent on which Scheme you opt into and how much maternity or adoption pay you or your partner have received.

Under the Statutory Shared Parental Leave scheme you are entitled to up to 37 weeks Statutory Shared Parental Leave pay. i.e. you are entitled to 39 weeks Statutory Shared Parental Leave pay minus the number of weeks you or your partner have received Statutory Maternity or Adoption leave pay and the number of weeks your partner has received Statutory Shared Parental Leave pay.

Under the College Shared Parental Leave scheme, you are entitled to up to 16 weeks full pay and up to 21 weeks Statutory Shared Parental Leave pay. i.e. you are entitled to 16 weeks full pay minus the number of week you received enhanced maternity or adoption leave pay (excluding the compulsory 2 weeks maternity/adoption leave) and up to 21 weeks Statutory Shared Parental leave pay minus the number of weeks you or your partner received Statutory Maternity or Adoption leave pay and the number of weeks your partner has received Statutory Shared Parental Leave pay.

What should I do first?

You should notify your line manager that you want to take Shared Parental Leave by completing the Eligibility and Notification forms. If you are the birth parent of the child, this will include giving notice of your intention to curtail your maternity leave and if you are the primary adopter this will include giving notice of your intention to curtail your adoption leave. If your partner is the birth parent of the child or the primary adopter, you will need to confirm that they have given notice to curtail their maternity/adoption leave.

Once your eligibility to take Shared Parental Leave has been confirmed, you should discuss your and your partner’s leave patterns.

See the Shared parental leave process and the Shared Parental leave policy further details.

What happens with my annual leave entitlement?

You will continue to accrue annual leave and mandatory leave during your Shared Parental leave. You are encouraged to agree with your line manager when you intend to take your annual leave before the start of your Shared Parental leave and may take your leave before, after or between periods of Shared Parental Leave.

If a block of Shared Parental Leave crosses two leave years you may carry over annual leave accrued in the first leave year but must use these days within three months following the end of your SPL.