It’s one of the most common questions from new school support staff, and the answer is “yes and no”.
Yes: you get paid every month
Most councils and schools pay term-time staff an annual salary in 12 equal monthly instalments. So you get the same amount in August, at Christmas and at Easter as you do in term. There’s no gap in your income during the holidays.
No: not every holiday week is paid
Your annual salary only covers:
- The weeks you work: usually 39 (190 school days + 5 INSET days).
- Your paid holiday: a share of a full-time colleague’s leave, pro-rated to the weeks you work.
The school is closed for about 13 weeks a year. On a 39-week contract with Green Book leave (under 5 years’ service), about 5.65 weeks of those are paid holiday. The rest, about 7.49 weeks, are unpaid. You don’t notice because the pay is spread evenly.
| Weeks | |
|---|---|
| Weeks in a year | 52.143 |
| Weeks worked | 39 |
| Paid holiday weeks | 5.652 |
| Paid weeks | 44.652 |
| Unpaid weeks | 7.491 |
Why it’s done this way
An all-year employee with 33 days’ leave works about 45.5 weeks a year and is paid for 52.143. For every week they work, they earn about 0.145 weeks of paid holiday. Term-time staff earn holiday at the same rate for each week they work. That’s fair: the same pay for every hour actually worked. You can see this in the contract comparison.
Bank holidays
Bank holidays usually fall in the school holidays, and they’re already counted in the Green Book leave figure (33 days includes 8 bank holidays). You don’t get extra pay on top for them.
If you leave or start part way through the year
Because pay is spread evenly, leaving part way through the year can mean you’ve been paid for more or less holiday than you’ve actually built up. Your final pay should balance this out, which can mean an extra payment or a deduction. Ask payroll for the calculation.
Northern Ireland, Scotland and academies
This guide follows the NJC Green Book for England and Wales. Northern Ireland is not covered, because its holiday rules for part-year workers are different. In Scotland and many academies the principle is the same, but the hours and leave may differ. Check your contract.