As previously mentioned, a consultation exercise to amend participation rules to allow for the phased withdrawal of independent schools (that might otherwise leave the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) for all members), closed on Tuesday 1 June 2021 and the formal response has been published (This link opens in a new window).

The intention is that the regulations will be effective from August 2021. A school would become an accepted phased withdrawal school on the first day of the month after a successful application was made and therefore this would allow for the earliest phased withdrawal to be from September 2021.

Phased withdrawal is freezing the membership in a "phased withdrawal school" at a particular point in time. No new entrants will be allowed to join the Teachers’ Pension Scheme except for a bulk TUPE transfer from another participating school.

You may want to choose this as an alternative option to leaving the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, as it allows your existing members to remain in the Scheme, while offering an alternative pension provision to new teaching staff (as it’s mandatory for you to comply with auto enrolment legislation for workplace pensions).

If you’re considering choosing to become a phased withdrawal school, we recommend that you read our new guidelines (PDF, 264 KB) (This link opens in a new window) to understand what you need to do.