Study Leave.

[Nomad]

POLICIES FOR OUR PEOPLE 2.28

STUDY LEAVE

OUR APPROACH

Our aim is to support our employees who are undergoing study towards a recognised qualification, to enable them to maintain employment whilst achieving personal goals.

This policy should be used to give employees time off to revise for and sit an exam.

All Employees may request:

        * Unpaid study leave for exam revision, normally up to 2 consecutive working weeks.

        * Extended unpaid study leave of a further 2 consecutive working weeks, in exceptional circumstances   
           (for example, when all holiday allowance has been exhausted and there is a high revision workload in   
           a short time frame). This will be at the discretion of their Line Manager.
           NB: An employee does not have to take all of their holiday allowance to qualify for these extra   
           2 weeks.

        * A change of working hours to better accommodate study time. Whilst every effort will be made to   
           support individuals in these circumstances, a change of hours cannot be guaranteed and will depend      upon the business needs.


* Study Leave is unpaid. Paid options such as holiday or shift-swap can be offered to provide a period of paid
   leave.

* Employees should give as much notice as possible, or a minimum of 4 weeks.

* The request should be made in writing using a Leave Request Form.

* Up to 4 weeks study leave can be agreed each year.

* If more than 4 weeks are required, then other options should be used, such as a Lifestyle Break or a
   Career Break.

* The request will be considered and approved at the discretion of the Line Manager and will depend on the
   number of other people off at the same time.

Eligibility

* Any employee with at least 3 months' service is eligible to request leave.

* The employee must be undergoing study towards a recognised qualification such as:

- GCSEs
- A Levels
- Degree
- BTEC
- National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) / Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) at Level 2
- General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) / General Scottish Vocational Qualification (GSVQ) Level 2
- City & Guilds

This is not an exhaustive list.

* It is reasonable to request confirmation of the qualification being studied for, prior to the leave being
   granted (such as an exam timetable).

* Requests for Study Leave should be considered on a first come first serve basis. Areas with a high student
   population will need to make appropriate decisions to support individuals whilst maintaining adequate
   staffing levels.

What is not covered

* Driving Tests
* Hobbies and Crafts
* Time to catch up on school or college work that is not linked to a specific exam
* Time off to attend classes

Recording Absence

The unpaid period of leave should be coded as Planned Unpaid Absence.
This period of leave counts as authorised absence, so will not be included in calculating an employee's percentage.

WHAT THE LAW SAYS

In some cases employees may be legally entitled (Under Time off for Study or Training Regulations 2001 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/2801/contents/made) to paid time off for studying.

This applies to 16 or 17 year olds (or 18 years olds if the course of study began before their 18th birthday), not in full time education who have failed to attain the standard of achievement set out in the regulations.

We should ensure that any individual wishing to take time off under the provision meets the criteria set out in the Reference Library.