Annual Leave Entitlement

Prior to going on maternity leave you accrue annual leave at the usual rate. You could save up your annual leave to take in a block pre-maternity leave but this would have to be agreed in advance with your educational supervisor and rota master.

You continue to accrue annual leave whilst on maternity leave.

Thus, if you go on maternity leave in June 2023 and stayed off for 1 year by June 2024 a full time trainee would have accrued 6-7 weeks of annual leave plus public holidays, depending on what stage in your training you are at.

It is encouraged that you would then take these leave weeks prior to returning to work, and by August 2024 your "leave year" would start again. If you take less time off on maternity (say 6 months instead of a year) you accrue less leave (you would have half a year equivalent) and your leave year continues seamlessly on your return to work.

Policy states:

"Wherever possible you should take all annual leave due to you before returning from your maternity leave; this should be fully discussed with your manager before commencement of leave.
Remember that if, on your return to work, you decide to work fewer hours or days, this may affect your annual leave entitlement from the date that you return and for the remainder of the current leave year. It is important that you discuss this with your manager in more detail to clarify the implications of this before commencing your maternity leave. All maternity leave will qualify for the purpose of calculating your annual leave entitlement. The carrying forward of annual leave from one leave year to another will not be unreasonably refused in maternity leave situations but should be discussed with your line manager."