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Staff medical appointments during school hours

Staff are entitled to paid time off for certain medical appointments. Get clear on the rules and see advice from Acas and the ASCL.

Last reviewed on 7 May 2024
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 staff are entitled to paid time off for antenatal care
  3. Staff with pregnant partners also have the right to go to appointments
  4. Staff with disabilities have the right to time off as a 'reasonable adjustment'
  5. Check your contracts for specific entitlements
  6. Set out your school’s approach in a medical appointments policy

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

This means you don't have to approve staff members' requests for time off work to attend medical appointments. A representative from Acas confirmed this.

Though it's not required, you can still choose to allow time off if you want to (see the last section of this article for how to set out your approach to medical leave in your policies).

Pregnant staff are entitled to paid time off for antenatal care Employees are entitled to reasonable paid time off for antenatal care, including: Scans and health checks Antenatal or relaxation classes Parenting classes Appointments must be recommended by a doctor, nurse, or midwife. ‘Reasonable’ time includes the length of an appointment, and travel to and from it. This is set out in Acas's guidance on time off for maternity leave. You can’t make a staff member change the time of their appointment to