Regulations for the granting of sabbatical leave and dispensation from prescribed duties

Council Regulations 4 of 2004

Made by Council on 14 July 2004

Amended on 23 February 2006

General

1. (1) The following members of the academic staff shall be entitled to apply for sabbatical leave under the terms set out in these regulations: professors, readers, university lecturers, faculty lecturers, senior research officers, Keepers and Assistant Keepers in the Ashmolean Museum, clinical tutors, and clinical lecturers.

(2) CUF and special (non-CUF) lecturers shall be entitled to apply for dispensation
from prescribed duties under the terms set out in these regulations.

(3) The holders of titular posts are not eligible to apply for sabbatical leave or dispensation from prescribed duties from the University; however, any service given while the title is held (other that periods during which dispensation from duties has been granted by the college) will count as qualifying service for the purposes of these regulations on assumption of the duties of the stipendiary post.

2. Divisional boards may, at their discretion, extend eligibility to apply for leave under the provisions of these regulations to members of the academic staff other than those listed in regulation 1 above.

3. Any applications for sabbatical leave or dispensation from prescribed duties under these regulations shall include:

(1) a statement of the grounds on which the application is made;

(2) the recommendation of the relevant department, faculty board, or other authority;

(3) details of the proposed arrangements for the discharge of the applicant’s normal university duties during the proposed period of leave or dispensation;

(4) in the case of joint university and college appointments, an indication as to whether the college has concurred.

4. Authority for the granting of sabbatical leave and dispensation from prescribed duties shall be the responsibility of the relevant divisional board.

5. The divisional board shall not grant leave or dispensation under these regulations unless it is satisfied that suitable arrangements can be made for the discharge of the applicant’s normal duties.

6. After the end of a period of leave or dispensation, the applicant shall provide a report for the divisional board on the activities which he or she has undertaken during that period, and shall complete a stipendiary form (see regulations 19-21 below).

Sabbatical leave

7. Sabbatical leave shall be reckoned on the basis of one term’s leave for every six terms of qualifying service, as defined in regulation 8 below, except for Keepers and Assistant Keepers in the Ashmolean Museum and clinical tutors and clinical lecturers, for whom sabbatical leave shall be reckoned in calendar months on the basis of one month’s sabbatical leave for every six months of qualifying service.

8. A period of qualifying service shall be a period during which the member of staff has without intermission discharged his or her contractual duties, unless:

(1) he or she has taken paid sick leave (unpaid sick leave does not count as qualifying service); or

(2) she has taken paid maternity leave (unpaid maternity leave does not count as qualifying service); or

(3) the relevant divisional board has agreed that a particular period in which the member of staff has not fulfilled his or her contractual duties may be reckoned as qualifying service for the purposes of these regulations.

9. Qualifying service shall normally accumulate up to a maximum of eighteen terms (or seventy-two months), from which six terms (or months) shall be deducted whenever a term (or month) of sabbatical leave is granted.

10. Any qualifying service in excess of eighteen terms (or seventy-two months) will be lost unless, exceptionally, leave is postponed and deemed to be taken in an earlier period as set out in regulation 13 below.

11. Not more than one calendar year of sabbatical leave shall be granted in any one period of three years.

12. Members of staff appointed to posts in clinical departments shall not normally be permitted to take sabbatical leave during the first three years of service.

13. In exceptional circumstances, sabbatical leave may be postponed without loss of entitlement by deeming it to relate to an earlier period, on condition that:

(1) the applicant would have had sufficient qualifying service to make him or her eligible for the leave in the earlier period;

(2) the applicant’s department or faculty board is able to make a strong academic case to the divisional board for the leave to be postponed and deemed to be taken at the earlier period; and

(3) the application for leave is made before the beginning of the earlier period.

14. In exceptional circumstances, leave may be taken in advance of entitlement, on condition that:

(1) leave is not taken more than six terms in advance of entitlement; and

(2) the applicant’s department or faculty board is able to make a strong academic case to the divisional board for the leave to be taken in advance of entitlement.

15. Members of staff are normally expected to serve for one subsequent term (or month) in respect of each term (or month) of sabbatical leave, before resignation or retirement.

Dispensation from prescribed duties

16. A CUF or special (non-CUF) lecturer who is granted leave by his or her college for one or more terms in any academic year may apply to the relevant divisional board for partial or complete dispensation from prescribed duties for that year, i.e. dispensation from one or both of the courses of eight lectures or classes which he or she is contractually obliged to give.

17. No CUF or special (non-CUF) lecturer shall be dispensed from more than four courses of lectures or classes in any period of fourteen years, or more than two courses in any period of three years.

18. CUF or special (non-CUF) lecturers are normally expected to deliver at least one subsequent course of lectures or classes in respect of each case of dispensation from a course of lectures or classes, before resignation or retirement.

Financial arrangements

19. A member of staff who is on sabbatical leave or in receipt of dispensation from prescribed duties shall normally retain his or her full university stipend, on condition that:

(1) he or she will spend a considerable portion of his or her leave in research; and

(2) he or she will normally give up all teaching and administrative duties in Oxford, other than examining and graduate supervision, during the period of leave or dispensation.

20. At the end of the period of leave or dispensation, a member of staff shall inform the divisional board as to whether he or she is better off financially than he or she would have been if leave or dispensation had not been taken, taking into account:

(1) any loss of normal sources of income (but assuming that normal university salary and any college emoluments have been received as usual); and

(2) any gain of income from new sources (less any additional expenses associated with new activities).

21. (1) A member of staff who is better off financially (as defined in regulation 20 above) as a result of having taken leave or dispensation must calculate the amount which would have to be deducted from his or her income so as to leave him or her in approximately the same financial state as if leave had not been taken.

(2) Such proportion of the amount specified in paragraph (1) above as his or her university stipend is of his or her combined university and college stipend shill be deducted from his or her salary at the end of the period of leave or dispensation.

WD197-094
07.09.04