Human Resources
Bank Holidays and University Closure Days 2024-25
Bank Holidays and University Closure Days 2024-25
Bank Holidays and University Closed Days 2024/25
All full-time employees are entitled to 8 Bank Holidays and 3 University Closure Days each year. Part-time employees receive a pro-rata number of hours for those days, calculated based on their contracted hours of work.
The University has also recently confirmed that, on an exceptional basis and for the 2024/25 leave year only, 3 additional closure days will be granted to all employees (or a pro-rata equivalent of those 3 days for employees who work part-time). These 3 days will be in addition to the 3 closure days that are provided under the normal terms of their contract. This additional 3 days of leave will not form part of future years leave entitlement.
The 2024/25 bank holidays and closure days, including the additional 3 days, will be allocated to employees as detailed below. For majority of employees, the days will automatically be allocated and taken on the dates outlined. Individuals who are required to work on any of the dates listed below however will be allowed to take the leave at another time, to be agreed with their line manager.
Please note that as the three additional closure days are being granted in exceptional circumstances and for 2024/25 only, they will show on iTrent as ‘Notional Bank Holidays’. This is for ease of adding and recording them on the system only however, and therefore, should any employees normally receive enhanced payment for working a bank holiday then those enhancements will not apply for working on any of these three additional University Closure Days.
Part-time employees who work a set number of hours each week will receive a pro-rata number of hours, proportionate to full-time working hours. Please see below some additional information and FAQs on how these hours will be calculated and allocated for part-time employees.
• Monday 23rd December - Additional University Closure Day
• Tuesday 24th December - Additional University Closure Day
• Wednesday 25th December - Christmas Day (Bank Holiday)
• Thursday 26th December - Boxing Day (Bank Holiday)
• Friday 27th December - University Closure Day
• Monday 30th December - University Closure Day
• Tuesday 31st December - University Closure Day
• Wednesday 1st January - New Year's Day (Bank Holiday)
• Thursday 17th April 2025 - Additional University Closure Day
• Friday 18th April 2025 – Good Friday (Bank Holiday)
• Monday 21st April 2025 – Easter Monday (Bank Holiday)
• Monday 5th May 2025 – Early May Bank Holiday
• Monday 26th May 2025 – Spring Bank Holiday
• Monday 25th August 2025 – Summer Bank Holiday
Q1 – How is my Bank Holiday and Closure Day entitlement calculated for 2024/25?
A – Based on a total of 14 days (8 Bank Holidays and 6 University Closure Days) across the leave year, a full-time employee will receive a total allocation of 103.6 hours for the 2024/25 leave year. This is calculated by doing either: -
• 14 days x 7.4 hours per day = 103.6 hours; or,
• 14 days = a total of 2.8 working weeks for a full-time/5 days per week employee.
2.8 weeks x 37 hours per week = 103.6 hours
This is an additional 22.2 hours of entitlement in comparison to a normal leave year - calculated by doing either 3 days x 7.4 hours = 22.2 hours, or 3 days = 0.6 weeks x 37 hours per week = 22.2 hours.
Q2 – How do I calculate my 2024/25 Bank Holiday and Closure Day Entitlement if I work part-time?
A - Part-time employees receive a pro-rata number of hours for these days, calculated based on their contracted hours of work per week. For example, for an employee who works 18.5 hours per week they would receive an entitlement that is calculated by doing either: -
• 14 days x 7.4 hours / 37 hours x 18.5 hours = 51.8 hours; or,
• 14 days = a total of 2.8 working weeks for a full-time/5 days per week employee.
2.8 weeks x 18.5 hours per week = 51.8 hours
For an employee who works 18.5 hours per week therefore, this is an additional 11.1 hours of entitlement in comparison to a normal leave year - calculated by doing either 3 days x 7.4 hours / 37 hours x 18.5 hours = 11.1 hours, or 3 days = 0.6 weeks x 18.5 hours per week = 11.1 hours.
Q3 – How will these hours be allocated on iTrent?
A - If any of the days specified above fall on a day you would have otherwise usually worked, then based on your working pattern recorded on iTrent the system will automatically deduct the appropriate number of hours from your leave balance.
You will not have a deduction from your leave entitlement for any of the dates on which you would not have otherwise worked however, as in those situations you are not benefiting from the time off as you never would have worked on and been paid for that day anyway.
Q4 - What if the entitlement allocated for Bank Holidays/University Closure Days exceeds the number of hours I would usually work on these Bank Holidays/University Closure Day?
A – Any remaining balance of your Bank Holiday/University Closure Day entitlement, which is not needed to cover the hours you would have otherwise normally worked on these dates, will automatically be added to your annual leave entitlement. You can then book those remaining hours at another time. This way, regardless of their working pattern everyone benefits from the same total amount of paid time off work, pro-rated for their number of working hours per week.
For example, if you normally work Wednesday to Friday, 21 hours per week (7 hours per day), you will have a 2024/25 Bank Holiday/University Closure Day entitlement of 58.8 hours (calculated by doing either 14 days x 7.4 hours / 37 hours x 21 hours, or 2.8 weeks x 21 hours per week). This is the same entitlement as anyone would receive based on working 21 hours per week.
As you would not have otherwise worked and been paid for any of the Bank Holidays/University Closure Days that fall on a Monday or Tuesday however, you will only actually need 42 hours to cover the hours you otherwise would have worked (as only 6 of the Bank Holidays/University Closure Days fall on days you otherwise would have worked). You will therefore be able to book the remaining 16.8 hours of your entitlement at another time.
Q5 - What if the entitlement allocated for Bank Holidays/University Closure Days is less than the number of hours I would usually work on these Bank Holidays/University Closure Day?
A – If your Bank Holiday/University Closure Day entitlement does not equate to the same number of hours you will now be benefitting from as time off on these dates, the additional number of hours of leave you require to cover the difference will automatically be deducted from your annual leave entitlement. This way, regardless of their working pattern everyone benefits from the same total amount of paid time off work for their number of working hours per week.
For example, if you normally work Monday to Wednesday, 21 hours per week (7 hours per day), as with the colleague quoted in FAQ 4 above, you will have an increased 2024/25 Bank Holiday/University Closure Day entitlement of 58.8 hours (calculated by doing either 14 days x 7.4 hours / 37 hours x 21 hours, or 2.8 weeks x 21 hours per week). This is the same entitlement as anyone would receive based on working 21 hours per week.
Due to your normal working pattern however, you will actually need 70 hours to cover all of the hours you otherwise would have worked and been paid for on those dates (as 10 of the Bank Holidays/University Closure Days fall on days you otherwise would have worked). You will therefore need to use 11.2 hours of your normal annual leave entitlement to cover the additional hours you will now be getting as paid time off on these dates.
Q6 – I am concerned that I am needing to use some of my normal leave entitlement to cover the Bank Holidays and University Closure Days when other colleagues are not. Is that fair and equitable?
A – All employees will receive a Bank Holiday /University Closure Day entitlement that is based on their number of working hours per week. FAQs 1 and 2 above outline how those entitlements are calculated based on whether you are full-time or part-time.
The number of hours that are then deducted from that leave entitlement are based on your normal working pattern (see FAQ 3 above).
For some employees therefore, this may result in them having some of their Bank Holiday/University Closure Day leave entitlement remaining (see FAQ 4 above). This is most likely to be the case for any employees who do not routinely work a Monday as they would not automatically benefit from any of the Bank Holidays that fall on a Monday (which is the majority). Employees in that situation are therefore entitled to take that remaining amount of their leave entitlement at another time, to ensure they receive the same total amount of paid leave as other colleagues who may work a different working pattern.
For other employees, their working pattern may result in them automatically benefitting from too many hours off work in comparison to their actual leave entitlement (see FAQ 5 above). This is most likely to be the case for any part-time employees who normally work on a Monday as there are more Bank Holidays that fall on a Monday than on any other day of the week.
It is important to note however that employees in both scenarios (FAQ 4 and 5) do still have the same Bank Holiday/University Closure Day leave entitlement - it is just that for individuals whose normal working pattern falls across a higher proportion of the Bank Holidays and University Closure Days listed above, they do not have the same flexibility of when they take that leave because their working pattern automatically dictates when they are required to do so. Individuals in that situation are therefore required to use some of their normal leave entitlement to cover the difference, as this will then ensure that all employees receive an equal amount of paid time off across the leave year.
Q7 – What if I would prefer not to use my normal annual leave entitlement to cover the extra hours off work that I will now be benefitting from on Bank Holidays/University Closure Days?
A - If you do not wish to use any of your annual leave entitlement to cover the difference in hours between your actual Bank Holiday/University Closure Day leave entitlement and the hours off work which you will now actually benefit from, you may wish to speak to your line manager about whether it is operationally feasible for you to either: -
- adjust your working pattern on a temporary ad-hoc basis and as necessary to address the balance (e.g. if you would normally work Monday to Wednesday, for one of the weeks containing a Bank Holiday Monday then you may wish to ask if you can work Tuesday to Thursday instead – in which case, and using the example in FAQ 5 above, the 7 hours you would have normally worked and benefitted from being off on that Monday will no longer need to be deducted from your leave balance). If you should take this option then a video guide is available here for your manager to be able to action this change on iTrent or,
- if it is not appropriate or possible for you to temporarily adjust your working pattern/working days on such an ad-hoc basis, instead it may be possible for you to work back at another time some or all of the additional hours you will otherwise be benefitting from (i.e. based on the example used in FAQ 5 above, you may be able to work some or all of the 11.2 additional leave hours back at another time and across several of your normal working days).
Q8 - What if I am sick on a Bank Holiday or University Closure Day – can I take the day back at another time?
A - No, you are not entitled to claim back any Bank Holidays or University Closure Days on which you were ill. Please see the University’s Sickness Management Procedure for further information in this regard.
Other categories of part-time/part-year employees
There are a few other categories of part-time employees who do not have a bookable leave entitlement, but who instead receive a stipulated contractual payment which compensates them for an accrued amount of annual leave, bank holidays and University Closed Days based upon hours worked. This is the case for Associate Lecturers for example.
These employees currently receive a set amount per hour which is based on a percentage that reflects the leave entitlement for their salary band. Therefore, for any such individuals they will, on an exceptional basis and for this leave year only (1st September 2024 to 31st August 2025), receive an enhanced percentage per hour that incorporates those additional 3 days.
Employees who fall into this category will receive a lump-sum payment in their December 2024 salary payment, reflecting any back-pay due for hours already worked from 1st September 2024 onwards. Due to the timesheet and payroll system changes that will need to be made for this category of staff, unfortunately it was not possible to facilitate this in time for the November payroll. From January payment onwards, and for the remainder of the current leave year only (i.e. until 31st August 2025), they will then receive the increased percentage for each hour worked.