The Department for Education and Teachers' Pensions values the inclusion of Independent Schools within the Teachers' Pension Scheme. If you're considering removing your school from the Scheme, this doesn't close the door to the Scheme. If you change your mind, the option to rejoin at a later date is open. Similarly, if you've decided to choose Phased Withdrawal, you can change your mind and reinstate full membership of the Scheme at a later date.

As an independent school, after a consultation exercise with your staff, you can choose to leave the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

There are two ways in which you can choose to do this:

• Phased withdrawal – You'll in effect freeze the membership to the Scheme at a chosen point in time and no new entrants will be allowed to join the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (except for a bulk TUPE transfer from another participating school). Those members who decide to opt out of the Scheme after the phased withdrawal date will no longer be in ‘eligible employment’ in the Scheme and any new employees will need to be offered an alternative pension scheme
• Scheme withdrawal – You'll completely leave the Scheme and offer members an alternative pension scheme.

To help you understand how this will work for your establishment and your employees, we suggest you take the time to read the information and resources we’ve provided.