Maternity leave/child care

clairey179

Afternoon all, looking for some help but not really sure where to start. We're expecting a baby round about Christmas (:j) very exciting, but trying to plan ahead. DH and I are both teachers, so I get a reasonably good maternity leave package (3 months 90% pay, then SMP for 6 months i think).
What we'd like to do is both work 0.6 (21 hours a week)so we both get time at home with the LO, and we'd only need child care 1 day a week (grandparents on both sides have kindly offered, and don't want to take advantage by asking them to do more as they all have other grandchildren they help look after).
Can anyone point me in the direction of how exactly we can work out our new pay and whether we'd be entitled to any benefits? Like I know they're changing some to do with children if you work?
We think (?) we'd be better off financially to both reduce our hours rather than have one of us work full time and the other work only 1.
Can anyone suggest any websites etc that we can use to help us work things out? the ones we've tried use our current incomes etc, and it'll be just over half once the LO is here.

sexymouse

I suppose it depends on what payscale you and your DH are both on claire - have you had a look at the NUT website? I think they have details of the payscales and a pay calculator on there. As for benefits, I'm not quite sure - I'm intending to go to the jobcentre this week as I'm an agency supply teacher and wasn't earning enough to get SMP, so having to apply for SMA instead. The TES website may be another place to look. Also bear in mind that part time teaching jobs are very hard to come by, so unless your employers agree to a cut in hours on your return to work, you may struggle to find them. Sorry to be depressing.