Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of her proposed maternity pay reforms; and how she plans to fund this additional cost.

This government is committed to tackling recruitment and retention challenges and supporting teachers to stay in the profession and thrive.

The recent Schools White Paper announced our commitment to fund improvements to maternity pay for school and college teachers, leaders and support staff. From September 2027/28, school teachers and leaders will see their period of full maternity pay, doubled from the current offer of 4 weeks of full pay to 8 weeks. The announcement responds to evidence that women aged 30 to 39 are the largest group of leavers from the school teacher workforce in terms of volume, which could be linked to choosing between a career and having a family.

While we are not able to share the exact funding amount at this stage, we will fully fund the improved maternity offer at a national level and are currently finalising the estimates.