Annual Leave & Hours of Work

Annual Leave Entitlement

The entitlement is 27 working days with the choice of dates left to the individual, subject to the approval of the Head of Department who will not unreasonably withhold consent.

The normal holiday year runs from the 1st August to the 31st July.

Public Holidays

There are normally 8 public holidays:

  • Summer Bank Holiday
  • Christmas Day, Boxing Day
  • New Year's Day
  • Good Friday
  • Easter Monday
  • Early May Bank Holiday
  • Spring Bank Holiday

Please note: In 2020, the Early May Bank Holiday will be moved to Friday 8th May to coincide with Victory in Europe Day, or VE Day

Customary Holidays 2019/20

There are 7 customary holidays which are as follows in 2019/20:

  1. 5 days at Christmas - 23rd, 24th, 27th, 30th, and 31st December.  The University will reopen on Thursday 2nd January, 2020.
  2. the Thursday before Good Friday - 9th April 2020
  3. the Tuesday after Easter Monday - 14th April 2020

Customary Holidays 2020/21

There are 7 customary holidays which are as follows in 2020/21:

  1. 4 days at Christmas - 24th, 29th, 30th, and 31st December.  The University will reopen on Monday 4th January, 2021.
  2. the Thursday before Good Friday - 1st April 2021
  3. the Tuesday after Easter Monday - 6th April 2021
  4. the remaining customary holiday may be included in annual leave entitlement for 2020/21

How to Work out Part-Time Holiday Entitlement:

For part time staff holiday entitlement is worked out in hours rather than days.

  • Multiply the 42 total leave days (which includes College and Bank Holidays) by 7.25 hours (the full time daily hours); this gives a full time hourly holiday entitlement.
  • Divide the result above by 36.25 hours (the full time weekly hours), then multiply by the number of hours a week you work.

This result gives you your annual holiday entitlement in hours. This includes hours to be taken for College and Bank Holidays.

Hours of Work

Grade 6 and below:

The standard working week for full-time staff is 36.25 hours (excluding meal breaks), normally between Monday and Friday, the actual attendance times to be agreed with the Head of College/School/Department.  

Grade 7 and above:

Because of the nature of the work, the University does not specify any terms and conditions relating to hours of work within the meaning of the Employment Rights Act 1996.  Hours shall be such as are necessary to carry out satisfactorily the duties associated with the post; and on average a normal weekly commitment will mean between 36.25 and 48 hours per week.

Part-time Working within Academic, Managerial and Professional Terms and Conditions:

Current Academic, Managerial and Professional staff contracts of employment state that the precise hours of work are not specified generally, but shall be such as are necessary to carry out satisfactorily the duties associated with the post, and in line with the Working Time Directive. For full time members of staff the contract will stipulate hours between 36.25 and 48 per week.

Where staff have been appointed to part-time roles, then this will be on the basis of a percentage of time e.g. as an 80% contract. This means they will work 80% of 36.25 – 48 hours per week rather than a fixed 29 hours per week. Another example would be a 0.5 FTE contract, this would mean the staff member works 50% of 36.25 – 48 hours per week i.e. between 18 – 22 hours per week rather than a fixed 18 hours. Staff are not entitled to accrue additional hours if on occasion they work more hours; the Flexitime Policy and any time off in lieu arrangement is only applicable to Support Staff i.e. staff members at grades 1 – 6.