Exam and study leave

Paid or unpaid time off for exams and study may be given depending on the reason for the request and how relevant the course is to your role at the council. 

Exam leave 

With the agreement of your manager, you can take paid time off for any examinations where the council is paying all or part of the course fees. 

Study leave 

You can take up to 5 days per year additional time off to study for an exam or to complete course assignments.

The time you take off should be no longer than the time it will take to sit the exam or finish the assignment. For example, a half-day of study leave for each half-day exam or one day to complete the assignment.  

Any further time off should be taken as annual leave or flexible working. You should discuss options for taking time off with your manager. 

You should also ask your manager if there are any relevant schemes in your service area that support leave for exams and study. 

Booking time off 

Speak to your line manager as soon as you can if you need to take time off for exams or study.  

Once agreed, you should book your time off under ‘training and study leave’ in My Oracle.