Academic staff leave arrangements: guidance for heads of department and directors of institutes

Heads of Department should also refer to the regulations for academic staff leave available on the Human Resources Division website.

1. Notification of intention to take sabbatical leave

The Regulations state that at least nine months notice should be given to Heads of Department by members of staff, regarding their intention to take sabbatical leave. However, given the need for Heads of Department to plan ahead and integrate requests for sabbatical and special leave, it is recommended that members of staff should normally give notice of at least a year i.e. before the beginning of the academic year in which the leave will occur, not the date when the leave itself commences.

Heads of Department may wish to note that sabbatical leave is a right of members of the academic staff; however the precise timing of sabbatical leave will in general depend on the possibility of making satisfactory arrangements for the work of the member of staff to be carried out by his/her colleagues as part of their work in the School.

2. Duration of leave periods

Some Heads of Department have asked for clarification about the intended length of a leave period.

• A term's leave is for four months and a year's leave is for twelve months.
• Leave start dates are fixed as follows:
  • 1st January
  • First day of the Summer Term
  • 1st September or beginning of the Michaelmas Term
• A year’s leave starts and finishes on one of the above dates. (Members of staff taking a year’s leave usually commence their leave at the start of the session.

This will enable heads of department to ensure that, during the summer vacation, particularly in that period immediately prior to the beginning of term, staff are available to carry out essential departmental duties.

3. Number of staff absent at any one time

Heads of Department have expressed their concern about the overall impact on departments of requests for sabbatical and special leave. Requests for special leave present a particular difficulty for planning purposes as opportunities often come up at short notice and it is not necessarily possible to arrange when the leave is taken. This means in practice that sabbatical leave cannot automatically be given precedence over other types of absence.

It is not desirable for the School to impose a percentage limit or quota on the number of staff in a department absent on sabbatical or special leave. It is the responsibility of individual Heads of Department to ensure that too many members of the academic staff are not away at any one time and to balance the needs of their Departments. Heads of Department are reminded that the special leave regulations stipulate that members of staff may apply for such leave up to a maximum level equivalent of 40% of the normal load in any five year period i.e. two years out of every five.

4.Staff with poor research records

Heads of Department are advised to speak to the Human Resources Director and the Pro-Directors, should they wish to seek advice on granting sabbatical leave to staff who have not been research active; and are advised to inform the Human Resources Director and Pro-Directors about staff who have not been productive during a sabbatical period.

5. Unpaid leave

Staff may also ask for unpaid leave for a number of reasons. Heads of Department should treat such requests in the same way as they would do with other requests for leave as outlined above.

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