Hi all

I was looking for some advice around continuous service in schools for Mat Pay for a friend - haven't worked in education myself and interested to know.

The circumstances are that my friend has worked in a primary school as a trainee teacher since Sept 2018, but the contract was from the council. She has now been offered a direct contract with the same primary school and secured a perm Teaching post due to start Sept 2019. She has recently discovered she is pregnant. My question is - is this considered an associated employer and therefore she will have continuous service from Sept 2018, and thus qualify for SMP through having 26weeks+ continuous service? Or is the council and school two separate employees - in which case her continuous service in her new contract will commence in September 2019 and she will not qualify as having 26 weeks (as she is due mid-Dec)?