Teacher resignation deadlines

Teachers in maintained schools in England and Wales can only resign to leave at the end of a term. To leave on 31 December you must hand in notice by 31 October. To leave on 30 April, notice must be in by 28 February (29 February in a leap year). To leave on 31 August, notice must be in by 31 May. These dates come from the Burgundy Book, the national conditions of service for school teachers, and most academies use the same ones.

The three deadlines

Resign by	You leave on	Notice given
31 October	31 December	Two months
28 February (29 February in a leap year)	30 April	Two months
31 May	31 August	Three months

The summer term needs three months’ notice because the period runs over the summer holiday. Your notice has to reach the school by the deadline. If 31 May falls in half-term or at a weekend, hand it in before the break, or check with the head how the school wants to receive it, so nobody argues about the date it arrived.

Headteachers

Heads give longer notice: three months to leave at the end of the autumn or spring term, and four months to leave at the end of the summer term. In practice that means:

• notice by 30 September to leave on 31 December
• notice by 31 January to leave on 30 April
• notice by 30 April to leave on 31 August

Deputy and assistant heads are usually on the same deadlines as classroom teachers. Check your contract, because some schools and trusts set longer periods for leadership posts.

Academies and free schools

Academies are not bound by the Burgundy Book, so their notice dates come from the contract you signed. Most trusts copy the Burgundy Book dates, especially for staff who moved across when the school converted, because those staff keep their terms under TUPE. Some multi-academy trusts have different dates or longer notice for senior staff. Read the notice clause before you plan a move. The academies vs maintained schools guide covers other differences.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

The dates above apply to England and Wales. Teachers in Scotland are covered by the SNCT handbook and local authority terms, and teachers in Northern Ireland by their own negotiated terms, both with different rules. Check with your employer or union before relying on the English dates.

Timing a move

Most teaching jobs for September are advertised between January and May, which fits the 31 May deadline. Schools that recruit early, especially for leadership posts, sometimes appoint before the 28 February deadline so the new person can start after Easter.

Hold off resigning until you have a written offer, or at least a firm verbal offer you are confident in. School offers are often conditional on references, an enhanced DBS check and other checks, and a resignation cannot be taken back unless the head agrees.

If you are offered a job after the deadline, your current school can agree to release you early. Leaving without agreement is a breach of contract. Schools seldom take legal action, but leaving on bad terms can affect your reference.

Pay and pension when you leave

You are paid in full up to your leaving date. Leave on 31 August and that includes the summer holiday, and if you start at a new maintained school on 1 September there is no gap in pay.

For the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, moving between schools in England and Wales does not affect your membership, provided the new employer is in the scheme. If you leave teaching altogether, your pension stays in the scheme until you can draw it. The leaving teaching guide covers options for people moving out of the profession.

Writing the letter

A teacher’s resignation letter needs only a few lines: that you are resigning, your post, and the date you will leave (for example, “with effect from 31 August 2027”). Address it to the headteacher, or to the chair of governors if you are the head. Keep a copy and ask for written acknowledgement. The how to resign properly guide has a template.