Term-time contract

A term-time contract (or term-time-only contract) is a permanent employment contract under which someone works only during school terms and is off during the school holidays. It is common in school catering and cleaning, education support roles, and any business that wants to keep parents and carers who can't work through the holidays.

Pay and holiday

Pay is usually annualised: the salary for the weeks actually worked is spread across twelve equal monthly payments, so income doesn't stop in August. That makes clear payslips important — staff should be able to see how the annualised figure is built up. For holiday, term-time staff are part-year workers: following the Harpur Trust v Brazel case and the 2023 amendment regulations, employers may, for leave years from April 2024, calculate their holiday using the 12.07% accrual method based on hours actually worked, with leave generally taken during the school breaks.

Why employers use them

Term-time contracts trade a few quiet weeks of cover for year-round loyalty from people whose availability follows the school calendar. They pair naturally with flexible working requests — a term-time pattern is one of the most common asks — and they tend to keep experienced staff who would otherwise leave for school-hours work elsewhere.

A contractual arrangement under the Employment Rights Act 1996; holiday governed by the Working Time Regulations 1998 as amended by the Employment Rights (Amendment, Revocation and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2023.

Related terms

• Statutory holiday entitlement
• Flexible working request
• Rota