Annual leave

Under the Working Time Regulations, all staff are entitled to annual leave. The minimum an employee can expect is the equivalent of 5.6 weeks, which would include 8 bank holidays.

Part time workers are afforded the same paid holiday on a pro-rata basis as a full time worker. In the University this includes bank holiday and concessionary days.

These guidance notes are designed to ensure that all staff within the University receive an appropriate entitlement to annual leave plus bank holiday and concessionary days based on the hours they work for the University.

The holiday year runs from 1st May to 30th April.

Full-time staff

Staff on grade 6 and above are entitled to 30 days leave per year. They will also receive 14 bank holiday and concessionary days.

Staff on grades 1-5 all receive 20 days per year. This rises to 25 days per year on completion of five years service on the first day of the following leave year. This rises to 27 days per year on completion of 25 years service. In addition, they are also entitled to 14 bank holiday and concessionary days.

Part-time staff (who work 52 weeks per year)

Part time staff are entitled to the same amount of annual leave as full time staff, on a pro rata basis to the hours that they work.  As part time workers do not always work the same number of hours each day, their entitlement will be calculated in hours.

In addition to an annual leave entitlement, part time workers should receive a pro rata entitlement to bank holidays and concessionary days. Holidays for part time staff can be calculated using the Holiday Calculator‌ by inputting the relevant information on the ’52 week part time workers’ tab.  This can be done by choosing the relevant full time holiday entitlement and inputting the weekly hours.  The amount of annual leave including a percentage for bank and concessionary days will appear in the last box marked *.  From this figure it is then necessary to deduct the bank and concessionary days that fall on the individual’s working days in order for them not to receive the entitlement twice. 

Term-time Workers

All staff, including those who do not work the full year are entitled to a pro-rata amount for bank holidays and concessionary days.

Staff who are allowed to take annual leave while working.

Part time staff are entitled to the same amount of annual leave as full time staff, on a pro rata basis to the hours that they work. As part time workers do not always work the same number of hours each day, their entitlement will be calculated in hours.

In addition to an annual leave entitlement, part time workers should receive a pro rata entitlement to bank holidays and concessionary days. It is first necessary to work out the average number of hours worked per week in a full year which can be found using the Annual Leave Entitlement for Part-Time or Term-Time Staff Table.

Holidays for part time staff can be calculated using the Holiday Calculator‌ by inputting the relevant information on the ’52 week part time workers’ tab. This can be done by choosing the relevant full time holiday entitlement and inputting the average weekly hours (obtained from the Annual Leave Entitlement for Part-Time or Term-Time Staff Table.). The amount of annual leave including a percentage for bank and concessionary days will appear in the last box marked *. From this figure it is then necessary to deduct the bank and concessionary days that fall on the individual’s working days in order for them not to receive the entitlement twice. 

Staff who are not permitted to take annual leave while working and who are paid for annual leave accrued at the end of the year

As these staff in effect work more days than a term time worker who is contracted for the same hours as them, but who is allowed to take annual leave, these staff are entitled to a greater annual leave allowance.

  • A term time worker who is allowed to take leave who works 10 hours per week for 32 weeks of the year is contracted to work 320 hours per year, but take their annual leave off this figure so will work less than 230 hours in reality.
  • A term time worker who is not allowed to take leave who works 10 hours per week for 32 weeks of the year is contracted to work 320 hours and actually works 320 hours.

Holidays for these staff can be calculated using the Holiday Calculator‌ by inputting the relevant information on the ’term time employees’ tab. This can be done by choosing the relevant full time holiday entitlement and inputting the weekly hours and number of weeks worked per year. The amount of annual leave including a percentage for bank and concessionary days will appear in the last box marked *. From this figure it is then necessary to deduct the bank and concessionary days that fall on the individual’s working days in order for them not to receive the entitlement twice.

Departments should ensure that at the end of the academic year Payroll are informed of the number of hours annual leave the employee is to be paid for.

Job sharers

Job sharers typically work 18.5 hours per week (0.5FTE). Two job sharers therefore share a full time annual leave entitlement (i.e. they each receive half the entitlement).

In a job share arrangement, the job share partners will share the bank holidays to ensure that both partners receive the same number of days off per year.

For example, if one job sharer works all day on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning, while the other job sharer works Wednesday afternoon, all day Thursday and Friday, and a bank holiday falls on a Monday, the job sharer who usually works on a Monday would normally be expected to work the Wednesday afternoon for their partner to ensure both get their pro rata entitlement to the bank holiday.

Increases and decreases in hours

Human Resources will re-calculate an employee’s annual leave and bank holiday entitlement when they are notified of a change in hours of duty.