Leave HackerGuidesPlan my yearHow does annual leave work for teachers?
Holidays are the school holidays
Teachers don't book annual leave like office workers: their holiday is the school holidays. In England, a full-time teacher must be available for work on 195 days a year, 190 of them with pupils, under the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document. Time off in term time is up to your school's leave of absence policy.
Teachers
- 195 days available for work, 5 of them without pupils (training or INSET days), and 1,265 hours of directed time across the year (England).
- Term-time leave isn't an annual leave allowance: ask under your school's leave of absence policy, and expect it to be decided case by case.
- Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own teachers' pay and conditions.
Support staff on term-time contracts
If you're paid only for the weeks you work and have weeks off unpaid each year, you're likely a part-year worker: since leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, you build up holiday at 12.07% of the hours you work, and may get it as rolled-up holiday pay. If you're paid in equal monthly amounts all year, your contract will set out how holiday is included. Ask HR which you are. The 12.07% rule.
Bank holidays in the school year
Most bank holidays fall in school holidays (Christmas, Easter) or on Mondays in term. The early May bank holiday is usually a term-time Monday off, and in England the spring bank holiday usually starts May half term.
Work in a school? The Leave Hacker planner shows the school holidays as your breaks and doesn't spend leave. See your year, or look up your council's school holidays.
Sources
- gov.uk: School teachers' pay and conditions (England)
- Acas: Irregular hours and part-year workers
- gov.uk: School term and holiday dates (find your council)
Checked on 26 October 2026. This is general information about the legal minimum in the UK, not legal advice: your contract can give you more, and can set its own rules for notice and carrying over. For help with your own situation, call the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100 (England, Scotland and Wales) or the Labour Relations Agency on 03300 555 300 (Northern Ireland).
More questions
Can teachers take holidays in term time?
Only with permission under the school's leave of absence policy. Teachers' holiday is the school holidays.
How many days do teachers work a year?
In England, 195 days for a full-time teacher, 190 with pupils, under the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document.