Absence from work

Sickness Absence

1. Uncertificated Sickness: if you are absent due to illness for up to three days you are not required to provide a certificate of any kind. You must however inform the school in good time for cover and other arrangements to be made before the start of each school school day affected.
2. Self-Certificated Absence: for absences of four or more but less than eight days, you are required to complete a self-certification form covering all the days on which they have been absent. The form is available from your school.
3. Medically statemented sickness: If you are absent for more than eight consecutive days, you must get a medical note or statement signed by your doctor and send this in to school as soon as practicable. If you remain ill when the note expires, you must ask your doctor for another note. If absence is going to be for a prolonged period (weeks or months) you should contact the Union for further advice.

Sick Pay

Teachers will receive full pay when off sick up to the following maximum periods:

Important: the count of days of paid sick leave is made in financial years and so is re-set every April 1st. (i.e. returns to zero if you are at work on April 1st. However, if you are ill on both March 31st and April 1st then the count of days' leave continues and is not re-set to zero.

SICK PAY should be extended for absences arising from accidents, injury or assault at work. Details of the regulations are in the Burgundy Book. The NUT has negotiated with the LEA a procedure for determining whether an injury was caused at or by work as a teacher in cases of stress and emotional injury, etc.  Procedure to determine industrial injury in disputed cases.  

Sick leave can end during a school holiday, in which case normal full pay will be reinstated from the date that you are certified fit to work. The exception to this is if you are declared unfit again so that you unable to start the next term at work.

Working days include Professional Development Days. Members who suffer an absence of more than a few weeks would be well advised to inform the Local NUT Secretaries of the circumstances.

Convalescence:

The sick pay regulations do not recognise "Light Duties" or other ways of reducing the workload when returning after a long illness. However, it is often possible to negotiate special arrangements for short periods to assist with rehabilitation. It is usually advisable to negotiate a therapeutic return (i.e. visits to the school while still on sick pay) and/or phased return (easing in to your full normal timetable commitments, while on full pay). Contact the NUT for information and assistance.

Disability:

Special provisions apply for teachers who need to be absent on occasions because of a disability (e.g.. for regular treatment, rest times, etc.). This is covered by the Disability Discrimination Act and there may be Access Funding to assist. Contact the NUT for information and assistance.

Maternity Leave:

There are statutory provisions. The NUT publishes up-to-date information for pregnant teachers, available on the National NUT website. Individual advice can be obtained from the Regional Office in Newmarket, (office hours: Tel.: 01638 555300, FAX: 01638 555330). There are also provisions to allow pregnant teachers to attend ante-natal classes.

Leave of Absence

Sick Leave and Maternity Leave are governed by National Regulations.

Leave of absence for other reasons may be granted by the Headteacher acting on behalf of the Governors. This can lead to differences between schools and sometimes requires Union advice. Should this happen, contact the Division Secretary.

Get it in writing!

Members are advised to make sure that all leave of absence is recorded in writing before leave is taken, giving the extent of the period granted, with dates. This avoids any misunderstandings which could lead to difficulties if relying on "word of mouth".

• Union Training and Representation at Official NUT events: Leave of absence with pay is available for training courses organised by the NUT Nationally (Stoke Rochford Hall) or by the Suffolk Division or its Associations and if you are representing the NUT in an official capacity, such as a delegate to any Conference or briefing. If you are involved in such an event, contact the Division Secretary for a "facilities" form: this will enable the school to be reimbursed for any cover costs incurred (the employment of a supply teacher).

• "Private and Personal" (P&P):The LEA's policy is to allow a maximum of two days' paid leave at any one time for the purposes of urgent and unforeseen personal business which does not come within the scope of compassionate leave or to fulfil an important and significant personal commitment which cannot be undertaken at any other time. The original policy, which is now an "acquired right" for teachers in Suffolk, was a minute of the Education Committee on 14th January 1975 setting out "Regulations with Regard to Absence of Teachers (Other than through illness)". In doubtful or disputed cases, this minute can be consulted, as it has never been repealed or superseded.

• Interviews: all reasonable time off must be allowed. Suffolk does not have a specific category of leave for interviews: it comes under the "private and Personal arrangements (see previous paragraph). Interviews abroad or in places involving extra days for travel, the Governors can place a limitation on the number of days to be taken, but this must be decided by a written policy made known to all staff before any limitation can be legitimately imposed. This applies whether the new post is in teaching or not. Employees must be reasonable, however, in the number of days' leave they request under this heading. If in doubt, contact the Union.

• Compassionate Leave: In the event of such emergencies as bereavement, serious accident or illness of an immediate family member/dependant, the LEA guidance to headteachers is to allow up to 3 working days' leave on the death of a father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister and up to 6 working days'' leave on the death of a husband or wife. Requests for compassionate leave beyond 10 working days should be referred to the Governing Body and you would probably require the advocacy of the NUT.

• Medical Screening: Where it is not practicable for appointments to be made during school holidays, the LEA deems it reasonable for female staff to be be provided reasonable time off for medical screening for breast cancer or for a cervical smear to be taken.

• Blood Donors: Paid time off will normally be granted for the donation of blood although teachers are expected to undertake this during school closure periods or out of school hours, wherever practicable.

• Adoptive and Other Parental Leave: The LEA has, from April 2004, agreed to give paid leave for adoption of children up to 16 as post-natal maternity leave. This leave to be in addition to the statutory rights of adoption leave. The cost to schools is covered by the maternity insurance scheme.
• Teachers may take the statutory adoptive and parental leave which applies to all employees, not just teachers. Contact the Secretary for details, because it may be possible to negotiated compassionate or special leave instead. The Statutory Provisions give all employees a statutory entitlement to a fixed amount of leave, but this is fairly inflexible and is not with full pay (a national statutory rate is paid, currently less than £110 per week).

• Professional Examinations: The LEA's guidance to headteachers states: "Leave required by teachers to sit professional examinations which lead to qualifications relevant to their job or which otherwise have direct relevance to the work should normally be granted with pay.

• Sporting Activities: Leave of absence to represent a sport at County or National level is normally granted, where absolutely necessary and the LEA's practice has been to help schools meet some of the cost of cover.

• Extended Leave: Teachers may request longer term leave (without pay) to undertake extended study, voluntary or work activities such as VSO or other similar reasons. Members contemplating such leave should discuss the ramifications first with the NUT. (e.g.. effect on pension, continuity of employment, contract, etc.)

Statutory Leave of Absence

In addition to the above LOCAL conditions of service, there is a scheme which ensures that Suffolk LEA employees receive statutory time off for specific duties. Further details are available from the NUT.

These duties include "Public Duties" such as:

1. a Justice of the Peace
2. a member of a District or County Council or the Broads Authority
3. a member of a statutory tribunal or a board of prison visitors
4. a member of the National Rivers Authority.
5. a member of the National Health Service Trust
6. A Health Authority
7. a Family Practitioner Committee

For such duties a maximum of 15.5 paid days leave and 10 unpaid days leave is allowed for teachers (who do not normally attend work at school during the school holidays).

Other duties for which time off is a statutory requirement include attendance at meetings of a Governing Body or Committees as a school or college governor. In this case, payment is at the discretion of the governing body of the school at which the teacher is employed.

Time off with pay is also normally granted for:

• Summer Camp for all employees serving in non-regular forces of the Crown (only applicable to those who may be normally working during August)
• Teacher Representatives on the Education Committee
• Witnesses or Jury Service (but teachers must make a claim for loss of earnings, to reimburse the costs to the school
• Union business and activities (including Union training) by accredited representatives. (These provisions are controlled by the County Secretaries of the recognised teacher unions). For NUT facilities time, contact the Division Secretary.

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