A prominent teaching union is calling for a significant increase in maternity pay for educators across the United Kingdom, asserting that current provisions are a key factor in women leaving the profession. This appeal follows a recent government announcement to double existing full maternity pay for teachers, a measure the union deems insufficient.

Matt Wrack, general secretary of the NASUWT, described the departure of teachers citing inadequate maternity support as a "national scandal." Speaking at the union's annual conference in Birmingham on Thursday, Wrack advocated for a substantial increase to 26 weeks of full maternity pay. He acknowledged the Department for Education's (DfE) recent proposal to raise full pay from four to eight weeks, set to take effect from the 2027-28 academic year. However, Wrack contended that this enhancement still leaves teachers with inadequate support compared to other public and private sectors, highlighting that female firefighters in the West Midlands, for example, are entitled to 52 weeks of full pay.

The union emphasizes that women in their 30s constitute the largest demographic leaving teaching. A recent NASUWT survey, encompassing 2,000 UK teachers, underscored the prevalent challenges, with 95% reporting difficulty balancing their professional responsibilities with parenting. Furthermore, 70% indicated they had considered resigning due to the impact on their children, and 77% of those who had taken maternity, paternity, or adoption leave in the past five years expressed a desire for more extended time off.

The DfE has presented its plan to double full maternity pay as the first enhancement to national maternity provision for teachers in over 25 years. A spokesperson for the department addressed concerns about retention, stating that the previous year recorded one of the lowest rates of teachers leaving the profession since 2010. The spokesperson also affirmed that the government is on track to meet its objective of recruiting and retaining 6,500 more talented teachers, noting the addition of more than 2,300 secondary and special school teachers this year.