Annual leave
Under the Working Time Regulations, all staff are entitled to annual leave. The minimum an employee can expect is the equivalent of 5.6 weeks, which would include 8 bank holidays.
Part time workers are afforded the same paid holiday on a pro-rata basis as a full time worker. In the University this includes bank holiday and concessionary days.
These guidance notes are designed to ensure that all staff within the University receive an appropriate entitlement to annual leave plus bank holiday and concessionary days based on the hours they work for the University.
The holiday year runs from 1st May to 30th April.
Leave Entitlement
The number of days’ annual leave entitlement for staff per year is based on grade, length of service and contractual hours. For part time staff annual leave is based on the same criteria but pro-rata to their contractual hours.
In addition to the annual leave, staff are also entitled to 8 bank holiday plus 6 concessionary/university closure days.
The table below shows the leave entitlement (in days):
| Total entitlement (annual) | Grades 1-5 | Grades 6+ |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Leave at day 1 | 22 | 30 |
| Annual Leave at 5-years | 26 | 30 |
| Annual Leave at 25-years | 27 | 30 |
| Bank Holiday/Closure Days | 14 | 14 |
For staff on grades 1-5, on reaching the 5/25-years anniversary, the increased leave entitlement is applied on a pro-rata basis for the remainder of that leave year.
Calculating your leave entitlement
A new approach for the calculation of leave is being piloted in the 2025/26 leave year and all leave balances will be calculated in hours rather than days. The Annual Leave Guidance document has been developed to support the administration of annual leave entitlement using the new calculator.
All leave is calculated and recorded locally within the School/Services.
Term-time workers
For term-time staff, entitlement to annual leave plus bank holiday and concessionary days is pro-rata based on the contractual hours and weeks.
The Term-time calculator should be used to calculate the leave balance (this will give a total leave balance inclusive of bank holiday/concessionary days). If booking annual leave, from the leave balance it is necessary to deduct any bank and concessionary days that fall on the normal working days in order not to receive the entitlement twice.
Schools/Services should ensure that at the end of the academic year Payroll are informed of the number of hours annual leave the employee is to be paid for.
Mid-year changes
If a member of staff has any changes to their hours within the leave year, their leave balance will need to be adjusted. The calculator should be used for each period.
Please refer to the guidance tab on the Annual Leave Calculator 2025-26.