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Original poster

Those deciding which independent school to accept - check if it is still in Teacher Pension

56 replies

WombatChocolate · 26/02/2023 14:40

I’ve been following a number if the threads where people have been trying to decide which offer to accept and grappling with journeys, scholarships, extra curriculars, etc etc.

One further thing to consider in the mix - do you know if the independent school you’re considering remains in the Teacher Pension Scheme?

A number of schools (significantly less than half still) have withdrawn from the pension so they can reduce the longer term commitment to have much the school needs to fund their staff pensions.

On one level, parents might think that looks good because it means fees will be a bit lower. That is probably true. However, also consider staff recruitment into the future. We all know there is a teacher recruitment and retention crisis. Even the top independents are finding they have fewer applicants and sometimes none or no quality ones for vacancies. Schools that have left the Teacher Pension Scheme will find it harder and harder to recruit quality staff, because they will simply have the option to go elsewhere - to a state school or an alternative independent. The vast majority of top and larger independents still remain within the Teacher Pension scheme.

So, it’s just something you might want to ask at Offers Days and bear in mind. If your child wilL be going to a school for 7 years, you’d hope the good existing staff will stay and as people naturally leave, that the school will manage to recruit great replacements. Some schools might find that 7 years down the line, their staffing quality is quite different to today or even the last couple of years ago. Just something else to consider.

OP posts:
prh47bridge · 27/02/2023 10:00

To correct the impression given by the OP a little, a significant number of independent schools have never been in the TPS. There are around 2,600 independent schools in the UK. In September 2019, just under half of them were in TPS. The most recent figure I can find is from January last year, at which point 952 independent schools were still in TPS, with 274 having left.

The issue for independent schools is that the government raised the rate of employers' contributions to TPS by 43% in 2019. This does not affect state schools as the increase is offset by an increase in their grant.

AlliwantforChristmasisgu · 26/02/2023 19:24

Thanks. Checked our local job adverts for private schools and all seem to have it.

Newstartonwards · 26/02/2023 17:05

This is very very true. Most teachers I know will not go to an indie school without it!

Original poster
WombatChocolate · 26/02/2023 16:55

No, I don’t think there’s a central list.

Schools won’t usually have that info on their website for parents.I guess you could look at the recruitment part of the website and see what pension provision they list in any adverts?

They probably aren’t keen to talk about it with parents, but they will tell you if you ask.
It’s tricky to talk about with parents. Some will just see the short term impact in that being in the Teacher Pension Fund is expensive for schools, so fees might be a bit higher. Schools that have pulled out with emphasis that. Schools that remain in will emphasise how it allows them to retain and recruit good teachers. Schools that have pulled out won’t want to talk about that. So most schools try to avoid talking to parents about it at all.

The different attitudes parents can take to the issue is interesting. Some seem to see keeping the fees as low as possible as being the main thing, regardless if the impact on teacher recruitment and retention. Others see that attracting and retaining the best teachers is vital - what’s the point paying for great facilities and clubs, if really good teachers aren’t there or won’t be there in future to actually teach the children well.

On another thread, some people have mentioned how GDST schools have been struggling to recruit since they pulled out of the pension for new recruits. It’s not surprising really when teachers looking to move to a different school can go to a private school still part of the Pension.

OP posts:
justanotherdaduser · 26/02/2023 16:07

Thank you, good point, especially with the ongoing crisis in teacher recruitment in both state and independent sectors.

Is this something easy to look up, like some sort of central registry? School websites I have looked in the past don't mention this at all.

Even the GDST scool websites don't mention it, and if someone missed the news reports of teachers' strikes there from last year, they wouldn't know about GDST policy changes.

RelentlessForwardProgress · 26/02/2023 14:42

Thank you! I'm just starting to look at year 7 school options so this is useful.

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