Eligible students may get a maternity award for up to 12 months for maternity leave if this is agreed in advance with your university.
The award usually includes all elements of your existing award except any relating to attendance on the course such as:
- Travel and Dual Accomodation Expenses (TDAE)
- Childcare Allowance (CCA)
- elements of Disabled Students Allowance (DSA)
It's your and your university's decision to agree when your authorised absence for maternity leave should begin.
Maternity leave cannot commence any later than the day after the date of birth of a child.
You must provide your university with confirmation of your pregnancy before starting maternity leave. This is usually the official form MAT B1 which you can get from your GP or midwife after you've been pregnant for 20 weeks.
Your university will send us a BUR101W(MAT) form to let us know the date of withdrawal and date you expect to resume.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have advised 2 weeks is the statutory minimum amount of maternity leave that must be taken by NHS students. You'll cannot return within 2 weeks of giving birth.
If you want to return within 2 to 12 weeks, you must discuss the options with your university.
If your leave continues into a new academic year, you must reapply for payments to continue for the remainder of your agreed period of leave.
If you took less than 12 months leave and want to extend this, your university must send us another BUR101W(MAT) with the updated details of your maternity leave.
Your university must send a BUR101R (MAT) when you return to your course.
If you need a second period of authorised maternity leave before returning to your course, your university must confirm this is possible before we can agree to pay any further bursary.
The same arrangements apply if you want to take time off from your course to adopt a child.
Extended payments
If you're experiencing exceptional circumstances such as postnatal depression, other pregnancy related illness or serious illness or loss of your baby, further weeks may be considered.
Your university must send a new BUR101W MAT form to confirm the reason for the extension.
Each case will be considered according to the individual circumstances presented including medical evidence or other relevant evidence provided.
Maternity and adoption support
Students who have started on an NHS pre-registration course and are in receipt of the maintenance grant element of the NHS Bursary are eligible for up to 4 weeks of authorised leave to provide support to a mother and child during and after childbirth or adoption.
This includes:
- biological fathers
- adoptive fathers
- nominated carers
- partners
Students are entitled to this period of leave if their baby is stillborn or dies after birth.
This is known as a maternity support award.
It's your and your university's decision to decide when the authorised absence should begin and how the leave will be taken.
Your 4 weeks authorised leave can be taken as a block or can be split.
It's expected authorised absence for maternity support is to be taken within a 6-month period of the child being born.
Your university will send us a BUR101W(MAT) form completed by you and your university which is authorised by a designated officer at the university.
We do not need the BUR101R (MAT) form when your maternity support ends as the return date is on the BUR101W (MAT).