The University of Oxford has announced an extended paternity and partner leave policy set to take effect from 31st January 2025. It will allow eligible new fathers, and partners of new mothers, to take up to 12 weeks of fully paid leave, inclusive of the statutory two-week period. Employers who have recently had or adopted children and are still within the first year after birth or placement will be able to access the scheme proportionately.
The University has described the extension as a “progressive approach to supporting new parents”. The policy aims to provide greater flexibility for employees and aligns with broader efforts to enhance family-friendly workplace policies in higher education.
Under UK employment law, statutory paternity leave currently entitles eligible employees to two weeks of paid leave, with the option for shared parental leave. The government’s policy indicates that employees can choose to take either one or two consecutive weeks’ leave, and be paid either £184.03 a week or 90% of their average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Oxford’s new policy extends this entitlement significantly and provides additional support to working parents within the University.
The introduction of the policy reflects a growing trend among universities, including LSE and UCL, to expand parental leave provisions. LSE now offers a four week paternity leave period, while UCL updated its paternity leave policy in April 2024 to offer employees up to 20 days. A similar policy introduced by the University of Cambridge on 1st October 2024. Cambridge’s update was part of a broader set of reforms aimed at improving family leave provisions.
The move puts Oxford University amongst UK employers offering the highest length of parental leave. Oxford and Cambridge offer the longest paid paternity leave schemes compared to other Russell Group universities, which tend to offer the statutory two weeks’ leave only.
