student pregnancy

It is up to you which staff member you tell about your pregnancy or becoming a parent, many students feel it is best to let an academic staff member on their course know. If an academic staff member is not available, you may find it helpful to have an appointment with a Student Life Adviser who can talk through the support available both internal and external to the university. Although you are not obligated to share this information, regardless of who you talk to, we encourage you to let the university know as soon as possible so we can put support in place for you.

Once you have let your chosen member of staff know, with your permission, they can coordinate the appropriate actions for you within your School and other relevant departments such as Student Immigration Advice and Compliance or Experiential Learning. 

You can book an appointment with a Student Life Adviser by emailing studentadvice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

Yes, we do not believe that being pregnant or having a child should be a barrier to your education. If you have given birth you will need to take a minimum of two weeks leave but you can arrange with your school what your maternity leave will look like. In some cases, students may choose to switch to part time study*, where available or in others they may prefer to suspend studies and re-join the following year. Your course team will set out your options and guide you through the process.

*Switching to part-time study can have financial implications. Prior to finalising any decision we recommend speaking to our Money Advice team. 

Yes, students can speak to us if they have had a miscarriage or your partner has suffered a loss. We can discuss the support available to you and the impact a miscarriage could have on your studies and the processes in place to support you such as extensions and mitigation.

You can book an appointment with a Student Life Adviser by emailing studentadvice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

You can also access support from our Student Wellbeing team. The team is made up of qualified counsellors and mental health practitioners. It is a free and confidential service that supports students with anything they are going through. counsellors and mental health practitioners.

You can complete the self-referral form to book an appointment with Student Wellbeing on their site or email them on studentwellbeing@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

If you're not sure what you want to do about your pregnancy, we recommend talking through things with others, such as friends or your GP.

Remember that no one has the right to tell you what to do about this – the decision is yours.

If you would like to discuss what your options would mean for your studies, you can book an appointment with a Student Life Adviser by emailing studentadvice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk 

You can also access support from our Student Wellbeing team. The team is made up of qualified counsellors and mental health practitioners.

You can complete the self-referral form to book an appointment with Student Wellbeing on their site or email them on studentwellbeing@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

Please let your placement provider know as soon as possible so they can carry out a risk assessment. There should be no reason why you cannot complete your placement unless there is a risk to you or your unborn child.

If you are a student on placement abroad, you should discuss the situation with your key contact at your host institution/ organisation and your contact at the Leeds Beckett in the Experiential Learning team. Please remember airlines have restrictions relating to the number of weeks up to which they will allow you to fly, so we suggest you find out this information as soon as possible. Please make sure you are insured under University’s Comprehensive Travel insurance policy for your placement abroad. Expenses associated with pregnancy are covered if incurred in an emergency as a result of complications. If you have any medical or travel concerns while on a placement abroad, please get in touch with the Insurance and Risk team for advice.

You can contact the Experiential learning team on placements@leedsbeckett.ac.uk 

You can contact the Insurance and Risk team on insurance@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.

If you are expecting your first child you can apply for the Maternity Grant through the Leeds Beckett Hardship Fund.  The grant is £500 and paid during the final 11 weeks of pregnancy. 

Once your baby is born, if you are an undergraduate student there are other sources of funding that you may be entitled to.  We’d recommend making an appointment with a Student Money Adviser prior to the birth, so you know what you may be able to claim.  Additional funding could include:

• Parents Learning Allowance of up to £1915 (AY 2023/24)
• Up to 85% of childcare costs through the Childcare Grant.  The maximum you can get is up to £188.90 a week for 1 child and up to £323.85 a week for 2 or more children (AY 2023/24)
• Child benefit, subject to individual circumstances
• Universal credit, subject to individual circumstances
• From the following academic year after having your baby you will be seen as an independent student and your Maintenance Loan will not be based on your parents’ income

You may also be able to access financial support from the Hardship Fund, which is a non-repayable grant.  Funding from the Hardship Fund could include help towards your living costs and up to the remaining 15% of your childcare costs.  As a parent, you may also be eligible to apply to the Summer Assistance Fund for financial support through the summer, if you are a continuing student

If you are expecting your first child you can apply for the Maternity Grant through the Leeds Beckett Hardship Fund. The grant is £500 and paid during the final 11 weeks of pregnancy.  If your partner is a student of LBU, only one of you can apply for the Maternity Grant.  

Once your baby is born, there are other sources of funding that you may be entitled to if you if your partner live together.  We’d recommend making an appointment with a Student Money Adviser prior to the birth, so you know what you may be able to claim.  Additional funding could include:

• Parents Learning Allowance of up to £1863 (AY 2022/23).
• Up to 85% of childcare costs through the Childcare Grant.  The maximum you can get is up to £183.75 a week for 1 child and up to £315.03 a week for 2 or more children (AY 2022/23).
• Child benefit, subject to individual circumstances.
• Universal credit, subject to individual circumstances.
• From the following academic year after having your baby you will be seen as an independent student and your Maintenance Loan will not be based on your parents’ income.

You may also be able to access financial support from the Hardship Fund, which is a non-repayable grant.  Funding from the Hardship Fund could include help towards your living costs and up to the remaining 15% of your childcare costs.  As a parent, you may also be eligible to apply to the Summer Assistance Fund for financial support through the summer, if you are a continuing student.  

If you and your partner are separated but you will have childcare responsibilities, we can take this into account as part of your Hardship Fund application.

Applications for financial support for international students are considered on a case-by-case basis.  Students are expected to have made financial provision to study and taken out all available funding, however under exceptional circumstances, financial support can be offered where a change in circumstance has led to financial difficulty.  This can include having a baby whilst you are studying in the UK.  We’d encourage you to contact the Student Money Team as soon as possible to discuss your eligibility for financial support.

As an international student, in most circumstances you wouldn’t usually be entitled to any statutory funding such as maternity pay, family benefits or funding from the Student Loans Company.

If you are an international student on a Student visa, it is very important that you seek advice from the Student Immigration Advice and Compliance Team (SIAC) at the earliest opportunity. 

Please note that the UK Immigration Rules do not permit a student to extend their visa for reasons relating to pregnancy or maternity. If you do have your baby in the UK, they will not automatically be deemed to be a British Citizen. The baby needs to have a parent with British citizenship or settled status in the UK in order to be born British. You should check with your embassy what you need to do to register the baby’s birth and inform yourself if the baby requires a visa to remain in the UK.

Please contact the SIAC team to find out the most up to date information about NHS services entitlement.
 

If you are pregnant and need a place to rest you can access our Quiet Spaces. At Headingley campus this is in Priestley Hall; at City Campus this is in the Leslie Silver building.
These rooms can be accessed by speaking to staff in the Student Services Centres. The rooms can be booked for 45-minute slots and are booked on a first-come first served basis. Each room has comfy seating, pillows and blankets.
As well as being used as a rest space they can be used as a feeding or expressing space. We have a small stock of essentials in the rooms such as nappy bags, maternity pads, milk bags and breast pads in case anyone runs out. Secured fridges to store milk are also available in each Student Services Centre.
We have a small range of toys and books in the room for anyone bringing a baby or toddler with them. 
Students can also ask their School if there are any building-specific rooms that could be used.