Opinion: Workforce

Why we’ve equalised parental pay – and the whole sector should too

There’s a raft of reasons why offering all parents the same parental leave benefits makes sense – for them and for the sector

There’s a raft of reasons why offering all parents the same parental leave benefits makes sense – for them and for the sector

2 Jul 2025, 10:17

Equity isn’t just a value; it’s a responsibility. That’s why we’ve taken the bold step of introducing equalised shared parental pay across our trust, ensuring that both parents, regardless of gender, can access the same enhanced benefits when taking shared parental leave.

This change is about more than policy. It’s about culture, fairness and the future of our profession.

Embracing progress

All our schools are based in Birmingham, and we’ve long honoured the enhanced maternity pay scheme that was in place when our schools were maintained by the local authority: eight weeks at full pay and 10 weeks at half pay.

We’ve continued this even in our secondary free school, despite the freedoms academies have to move away from nationally agreed terms.

But we knew we could go further.

The parent pay gap

The gender pay gap in education is well known, but its origins are often overlooked.

The motherhood penalty, where women take extended leave, return part-time and face slower career progression, is a key driver. Meanwhile, many fathers want to take a more active role in early parenting but are financially discouraged from doing so.

With 84 per cent of our workforce being female, we’ve seen first-hand how these dynamics play out.

But we also saw an opportunity. A recent survey by Dear Bump found that 66 per cent of men would consider changing jobs for better paternity leave. That statistic stayed with us.

Getting our approach right could therefore not only support all families more fairly but also attract more male teachers into our predominantly primary trust.

Making change happen

We knew this couldn’t just be a good idea; it had to be a sustainable one.

Our director of finance, Matthew Douglas carefully modelled the cost implications and found that equalising shared parental pay would have minimal financial impact on the trust.

Based on the past five years of paternity leave data, we estimate the average annual cost to the trust would have been around £6,500 if those taking paternity leave had taken the full amount of shared parental leave that is available to them.

For a policy that could transform our culture and improve staff retention, it’s a small price to pay.

And yes, that price is small because only 13 fathers took paternity leave over that period, but there isn’t a point at which this policy becomes financially unviable. Because a higher proportion of male teachers means a lower proportion of female teachers, the policy’s cost is automatically offset.

Once we presented the case to our trustees, the decision was clear.

Shared responsibility

This policy sends a powerful message: parenting is a shared responsibility, and we support all families equally.

More than that, it removes a key barrier to uptake and empowers our staff to make choices that work for their families, without sacrificing their careers.

We know the policy alone won’t change culture. But it’s a start. By removing structural disincentives, we’re encouraging more equitable choices at home and at work.

And by doing so we’re investing in the long-term retention and progression of our talented staff (particularly women) who too often face career trade-offs after starting a family.

I hope our decision inspires other trusts and schools to re-examine their own parental leave policies. Because when we support all parents, we’re not just supporting individual families; we’re supporting the future of education.

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