To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to discourage employers in the independent schools sector from using dismissal and re-engagement to withdraw teachers from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
Answered on
9 February 2022
Independent schools participate in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme voluntarily and are therefore free to leave the scheme if they wish to do so. The way they manage such a move, with their teaching staff, is an employment matter rather than a pension related one. The department does not have any powers to interfere but does encourage encourage employers to consult with their staff appropriately, including over alternative pension arrangements, through the Teachers’ Pension Scheme administrator. Employers are also encouraged to take employment law advice before proceeding with moves to leave the scheme.
The department has recently implemented new regulations, following engagement with the independent education sector, to support independent schools to continue in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.