Annual leave

Introduction

The University’s leave year runs from 1 September to 31 August, except for the Directorates of Estates and Campus Services, and IT Services, who's leave year runs 1 January to 31 December.

Annual leave entitlements are detailed below. This paid leave is in addition to the Statutory and Public Holidays normally applicable in England and the University’s concessionary days.

Leave is accrued from day one of employment, or the start of the leave year, and employees continue to accrue leave while on leave other forms of statutory leave, such as sick leave, maternity leave, or paternity, co-parent and partner leave.

Line managers are responsible for ensuring leave entitlements are correctly adjusted in People XD, taking into account any approved carry over (see below) or leave accrued during other leave types, at the start of the leave year.

Working Time Regulations

Every worker, whether full or part-time, is entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks paid leave each year inclusive of bank holidays. There is no opting out of the leave provisions. Leave must be taken, with no option to pay in lieu except on termination of employment.

Under the Working Time Regulations (gov.uk), the University has a legal duty to ensure all employees take their minimum leave entitlement for health and safety purposes, and leave is scheduled and recorded appropriately to demonstrate compliance.

Lecturing staff and Research staff paid at salary Grade 9 and above

Annual leave entitlement is 35 days paid leave during the course of the leave year.

The timing of an employee's leave is subject to the agreement of the line manager. Subject to the organisational requirements of the University, an employee may request that up to six weeks of normal leave entitlement be taken in one continuous period, and any such request should not be unreasonably refused.

Wherever possible, detailed schedules for individual lecturers should be made as soon as reasonably practicable after the beginning of each academic year, to determine leave schedules.

All Professional Services staff up to and including Grade 12 and Research staff up to and including those paid at grade 8

Annual leave entitlement varies depending on length of service and grade, and is expressed in working days for those who work a 37 hours week, 52 weeks per year.

New employees are entitled to 25 days of paid leave per year, rising to 26 days in the leave year in which the employee achieves 3 whole years of service, 27 days in the leave year in which the employee achieves 6 years of service and 28 days in the leave year in which the employee achieves 9 years of service.

E.g. an employee who joined on 1 January 2023 will complete 3 years of service on 31 December 2025 and therefore their leave entitlement will increase to 26 days for the leave year 2025/26.

Part-time employees and employees on compressed hours

Part-time employees receive annual leave, bank holidays and concessionary days on a pro-rata basis, which is calculated in hours. Employees working compressed hours also calculate their leave in hours. Further information on how to calculate these leave entitlements can be found on the calculating annual leave, bank holidays and concessionary days for staff working part-time hours or compressed hours page. Annual leave calculators are available for line managers to calculate leave entitlements for these employees and make the necessary adjustments in People XD.

Entitlements for new starters

In the leave year in which employment commences leave entitlement will be accrued on a pro-rata basis for service from start date to the end of the leave year. This includes part months.

The formula for calculation of pro-rata annual leave (AL) entitlement is:

AL entitlement ÷ 12 = AL allocation per month
AL allocation per month * No. of completed months service in current year = amount of AL accrued for complete months worked

Entitlements on termination of employment

In the leave year in which employment is terminated, annual entitlement will be accrued on a pro-rata basis for service from the start of the leave year until the end of the contract, this includes part months worked.

Employees are entitled to take any remaining leave entitlement prior to their departure. If there are valid reasons why this is not possible, they will be entitled to receive pay in lieu of the untaken leave.

If an employee has taken leave in excess of that accrued in the year, a deduction for the excess leave taken will be made from the final salary. The line manager is responsible for informing the People Directorate about any payment required in lieu of annual leave or any deduction from salary required.

Carry over

Employees should take all of their leave in the designated leave year. A maximum of five working days (or one working week for part-time employees) can be carried forward to the following leave year by agreement with the PVC/Director of the Faculty/Directorate. Carry over of more than 5 days leave from one year to the next will only be approved in very exceptional circumstances and as long as it does not infringe on the minimum leave allowances set out by the Working Time Regulations (gov.uk), and line managers will be responsible for adjusting this in People XD.

Taking leave

While employees have an entitlement to take leave, there is no right to take leave at any time an employee chooses. All periods of leave must be applied for, and approved by the relevant manager, in advance in People XD. A suite of user guides and demonstrations are available to support employees and line managers. Leave can be taken by mutual agreement and while it can be taken at any time of the year, employees can be encouraged not to take leave at certain times, e.g. graduation, enrolment, clearing, semesters. The University reserves the right to refuse an application for leave or time off if it is necessary to maintain appropriate levels of service. If leave is refused, the line manager is obliged to allow leave to be taken at a later time. This could mean that, exceptionally, an employee may carry forward more than five days leave to the following leave year.

Advance notice of leave must be given by employees, or by the University if it is required that leave is taken at a specified time. The notice period should be at least twice the period of the leave to be taken, although this may be shortened by mutual agreement.

Monitoring responsibilities

All leave must be recorded in the University’s people data system, People XD, to ensure accurate tracking, reporting, and compliance with the Working Time Regulations. A suite of user guides and demonstrations are available to support.

Line managers are responsible for monitoring leave usage throughout the year, ensuring that employees take at least the minimum statutory entitlement under the Working Time Regulations. This legal minimum exists to protect health, safety, and wellbeing. However, the University's additional contractual entitlements reflect its commitment to supporting a positive and sustainable working environment.

Line managers should monitor leave in People XD and actively encourage employees to take their full leave entitlement.

Senior managers at Faculty/Directorate level have an overarching responsibility to assure appropriate leave usage across their areas and to support a culture where rest and recovery are valued.

The People Directorate supports this by providing reporting functionality through People XD, enabling both local and institutional oversight of leave patterns. The People Directorate will also monitor compliance at an institutional level and may flag concerns or trends requiring further action