I am always shocked at how many teachers don’t know they are committed to long notice periods. This is to protect the school and make sure some consistency is established for the children, as such the Teacher Resignation Dates 2021 align with End of Term Holidays. Essentially if you want to leave at the end of the term, you should submit your notice by the half-term proceeding it. According to the Burgundy Book, a teacher that wants to resign should use the following guidelines.
2021 Teacher Resignation Dates for UK Teachers
| I want to leave… | I need to resign by… |
| Easter Holidays | 28th February 2021 |
| Summer Holidays | 31st May 2021 |
| Christmas Holidays | 31st October 2021 |
If moving to another teaching role this is fairly straightforward as recruitment follows the same cycle. However, it is more challenging when you want to leave the profession and clarity over your leaving date will support you seeking work elsewhere. You should be applying for work around 6 – 3 months in advance of when you intend to leave the profession, providing a 12 week notice period would be acceptable in most of the roles you will likely be looking at. Some companies have incredibly long recruitment processes and you want to avoid approaching your intended notice period without a firm offer. So plan ahead! Get the teacher resignation dates for 2019 in your diary today.
If you need to write a resignation letter, download our free template.
Hi, I was under this impression also and have just given my notice at my current school following these guidelines, however, I have been told by my SLT that this was not the expectation, is not enough time to fill my post, and that I am letting both the school and the children down. I have found no contractual grounds for expecting a longer notice period so am wondering if there is any advice posted on how to navigate the interpersonal fallout? This is clearly a school preference, of which I was not previously aware, and I have already accepted my new post and they also confirmed the notice period I would have to give for the start date advertised.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
I’m afraid this is a typical response constructed to not only make you feel guilty but filter back through the staff cohort to try and reduce turnover (lots of people stay in jobs they hate because they are scared of telling SLT that they are leaving). I’ve been the SLT member pushed to give that line when members of my team resigned. It’s part of problematic school management structures that rely on making people feel like they owe the school some debt.
I’d happily write a post about mitigating the fallout. In the meantime just acknowledge you’ve done the right thing and based on the reaction it sounds like it’s a good decision. Good Leaders want their staff to develop, even if that’s elsewhere. Poor Leaders want staff to feel that they can’t leave.
Hey sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. This is a typical response and one I’ve had before. To be honest if a school reacts like this celebrate you are leaving because it sounds a bit toxic. The resignation dates exist to provide enough time for all involved – recruitment is the schools responsibility rather than your problem. Hope things are less stressful now!