Teachers' Maternity Pay: The Burgundy Book, SNCT and NI Schemes
Teachers' maternity pay comes from three national schemes. The Burgundy Book in England and Wales and the Northern Ireland scheme both pay 4 weeks of full pay, 2 weeks at 9/10ths and 12 weeks of half pay plus SMP. Scotland's SNCT scheme pays 13 weeks at normal salary. SMP alone runs to week 39, and weeks 40 to 52 are unpaid. The Teacher Maternity Pay Calculator turns any salary into the weekly figures.
All three schemes are occupational maternity pay: pay from your employer that includes Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) or sits on top of it. This guide covers the rules: who qualifies, the notice you give, academies, supply teachers, repaying pay, your pension and the change announced for 2027 to 2028.
The three teachers' schemes at a glance
| England and Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scheme | Burgundy Book | SNCT Handbook, Part 2, Section 7 | TNC 2021/1 |
| Occupational pay | Weeks 1 to 4 full pay, 5 and 6 at 9/10ths, 7 to 18 half pay plus SMP | Weeks 1 to 13 at normal salary (OMP plus SMP) | Weeks 1 to 4 full pay, 5 and 6 at 9/10ths, 7 to 18 half pay plus SMP |
| SMP only | Weeks 19 to 39 | Weeks 14 to 39 | Weeks 19 to 39 |
| Service you need | One year's continuous service as a teacher with one or more local authorities at the beginning of the 11th week before the expected week of childbirth. | 26 weeks' continuous service at the beginning of the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth. | 52 weeks' continuous service as a teacher with one or more employing authorities at the beginning of the 11th week before the expected week of childbirth. |
| A week's pay if salary varies | Average over the 12 weeks before your absence | Not stated in the section checked | Average over the 52 weeks before your absence |
| If you do not return | You return to teaching for at least 13 weeks, including any school closure periods. If you do not, your employer may ask you to repay the occupational pay for the weeks after week 6. SMP is never repayable. | Not stated in the section checked | You return to teaching for at least 13 weeks. If you do not, the employing authority may ask you to repay the pay for the weeks after week 6. SMP is never repayable. |
SMP inside each scheme is 90% of your average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks, then £194.32 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, in 2026 to 2027.
The Burgundy Book scheme
The Burgundy Book, the “Conditions of Service for School Teachers in England and Wales”, sets maternity pay for teachers in local authority maintained schools in both nations. Its maternity scheme applies regardless of the hours you work, so part-time teachers are covered on their actual salary, and it covers pregnant women, trans men and non-binary teachers.
In weeks 1 to 6 your SMP is offset: it counts inside the full pay and the 9/10ths pay rather than being added to it. In weeks 7 to 18 your school pays half pay on top of SMP, with one limit: the two together cannot exceed your full pay. A week's pay is the amount payable under your current contract, and if your salary varies significantly it is the average over the 12 weeks before your absence.
Who qualifies
You need one year's continuous service as a teacher with one or more local authorities at the beginning of the 11th week before your expected week of childbirth. With less, you get SMP only, which the Statutory Maternity Pay calculator works out. SMP has its own tests: 26 weeks with your employer into the qualifying week (the 15th week before your due week) and average weekly earnings of at least £129 a week.
How continuous service is counted
Continuous service is counted in weeks, in the way the Employment Rights Act 1996 lays down. Approved leave of absence, paid or unpaid, does not break it, and a school closure would not normally break it either. Service with more than one local authority counts towards the year.
The notice you give
By the beginning of the 14th week before your expected week of childbirth, tell your employer you want maternity leave, declare in writing that you intend to return to work afterwards, and give a copy of your MATB1 (NEU guide to the Burgundy Book scheme).
Academies and continuous service
The Burgundy Book applies automatically only to local authority maintained schools. Many academies adopt it, so check your contract or your trust's maternity policy before you rely on the figures. Independent schools are not bound by it (NEU guide).
Does moving to an academy break continuous service?
It can. If you transfer to an academy under TUPE, you keep your Burgundy Book terms. If you choose to move from a maintained school to an academy, you can lose your continuous service, and with less than a year you get SMP only. If your academy has its own scheme, enter its weeks in the Enhanced Maternity Pay Calculator.
Teachers' maternity pay in Scotland (SNCT)
Teachers in Scotland get 13 weeks at normal salary: occupational maternity pay (OMP) and SMP together equal your normal salary. SMP alone follows for the remaining 26 weeks, provided your average weekly earnings are at least the lower earnings limit for National Insurance, £129 a week in 2026 to 2027.
You qualify with at least 26 weeks' continuous service at the beginning of the 15th week before your expected week of childbirth, a shorter test than England and Wales. Your employer continues to make full pension contributions during paid maternity leave (SNCT Handbook, Part 2, Section 7, 7.1.4). The section checked does not state a return condition or an averaging rule for varying pay, so ask your employer about both.
Teachers' maternity pay in Northern Ireland
Teachers in Northern Ireland follow the Teachers' Maternity Leave Scheme (TNC 2021/1): 4 weeks of full pay, 2 weeks at 9/10ths and 12 weeks of half pay plus SMP, then 21 weeks of SMP and no pay after that. That is 18 weeks of occupational maternity pay inside 26 weeks of ordinary and 26 weeks of additional maternity leave.
| Rule | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|
| Service for occupational pay | 52 weeks' continuous service as a teacher with one or more employing authorities at the beginning of the 11th week before the expected week of childbirth. |
| Less service | Under 52 weeks' teaching service but at least 26 weeks into the 15th week before the due week: SMP only. |
| A week's pay | The amount payable under your current contract; if your salary varies significantly, the average over the 52 weeks before your absence. |
| Teachers paid by the 1/195 method | The average salary of a comparable teacher paid on an all year round basis. |
| Keeping in touch days | Up to 10, paid at normal full pay less any maternity payments for those days. |
The weekly amounts match England and Wales. The 52-week averaging window is the main difference, and it matters if your pay changed during the year.
Supply and temporary teachers
Supply teachers paid at a daily or hourly rate are outside the Burgundy Book's maternity scheme: its definition of “teachers” leaves out “those employed on a day-to-day or other short-notice basis”. They get SMP only, if they qualify for it.
Temporary teachers are different. A teacher employed for one term or less, or as a substitute for a permanent teacher who is away, is covered by the maternity scheme and gets Burgundy Book pay after passing the one-year service test.
SMP for supply work comes from whoever deducts your PAYE tax and Class 1 National Insurance, whether that is an agency or the employer. A week without work does not break SMP's 26-week test if you were on paid leave or no work was offered; if you turned work down, the employer checks the reason (HMRC: how employment types affect SMP).
Repaying maternity pay: the 13-week return rule
Do teachers have to pay back maternity pay?
Only part of it, and only if you do not go back. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland you must return to your job for at least 13 weeks, including school closure periods. If you are not available or are unable to return for that long, your employer can ask you to refund the occupational pay made after the first 6 weeks. The employer decides how much, and SMP is never refundable.
The sum at stake is the half pay for weeks 7 to 18. The Teacher Maternity Pay Calculator shows it for your salary. For how other schemes handle this, see whether you have to pay back maternity pay.
Keeping in touch days for teachers
You can work up to 10 keeping in touch days during maternity leave without losing SMP or ending your leave (HMRC). In Northern Ireland the teachers' scheme pays normal full pay for those days, less any maternity pay for them, and you keep your occupational pay. Section 5 of the Burgundy Book, its maternity scheme, has no keeping in touch provision, so agree the pay with your school before you work a day. Read more on how KIT days are paid.
Your Teachers' Pension during maternity leave
In the Teachers' Pension Scheme, your contribution rate stays based on your normal salary while you receive statutory pay or at least half your normal monthly salary, but it is deducted from the pay you actually receive. The employer rate, currently 28.68%, is applied to your actual earnings during family leave (Teachers' Pensions employer toolkit, Teachers' Pensions, August 2025).
In Scotland, the SNCT scheme says the employer continues to make full pension contributions during paid maternity leave.
Teacher maternity pay from 2027 to 2028: 8 weeks of full pay
The government has pledged to double full maternity pay for school teachers and leaders in England from 4 weeks to 8 weeks from the 2027/28 academic year. It is announced and funded, not in force.
“We will fund schools to improve maternity pay, doubling the period of full pay from the current offer of 4 weeks to 8 weeks for school teachers and leaders from the 2027/28 academic year.” Department for Education, Every Child Achieving and Thriving (Schools White Paper, February 2026).
The pledge is not yet part of the Burgundy Book. There is no commencement date, no amended scheme text and no statement yet on academies, so until the scheme changes, teachers on maternity leave are paid on today's 4 weeks. The calculator uses 4 weeks for the same reason.
Sources and checks
- Conditions of Service for School Teachers in England and Wales (Burgundy Book), Section 5 (Revised edition, June 2023), including its definitions of teachers and continuous employment
- NEU: the Burgundy Book maternity scheme for school teachers
- SNCT Handbook, Part 2, Section 7 (Family Leave) (Section published 22 May 2026)
- TNC 2021/1 Teachers' Maternity Leave Scheme (TNC 2021/1, page updated 1 July 2021) and Department of Education (NI): teachers' pay common issues
- Department for Education: Every Child Achieving and Thriving (February 2026)
- Teachers' Pensions: family leave and maternity pay and contributions
- HMRC: how employment types affect SMP and employee circumstances that affect payment
Checked 8 October 2026. See the methodology for how figures on this site are checked.