Staff medical appointments during school hours

Staff are entitled to paid time off for certain medical appointments, but not all. See advice from Acas and ASCL on staff attending medical appointments during the school day.

Last reviewed on 20 May 2022
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 10116
Contents
  1. In most cases, there’s no statutory right to time off for appointments
  2. Pregnant employees are entitled to time off for antenatal care
  3. Disabled employees have a right to reasonable adjustments, including time off
  4. The right to paid time off in conditions of employment

In most cases, there’s no statutory right to time off for appointments

A representative from Acas confirmed this.

However, there are some exceptions, such as antenatal care appointments.

Set out your school’s approach in a medical appointments policy

An adviser from the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) told us that schools should have a policy, agreed with the governing board, on attending medical appointments. A clear policy will help you to make decisions consistently and fairly.

Let staff attend hospital appointments or emergency dental appointments, during the school day. However, it is reasonable to ask staff to schedule other, non-urgent appointments (for example, routine dental check-ups) for outside their working hours.

We cover leave entitlements for staff, including teachers and

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