What your employer does for you?

Independent schools are not automatically enrolled in the Scheme. The establishment will have applied in the past to join the Scheme so that you could be part of it.

As part of their responsibilities in the Scheme your employers will:

• Provides us with details of your service each month
• Provides us with your monthly contributions and the contributions they pay on your behalf
• Provides you with information about the scheme when you start
• Encourages you to sign up for My Pension Online so you can access more information about your pension
• Authorise forms you send to us such as retirements.

What happens if my establishment wishes to leave the Teachers’ Pension Scheme?

Independent/accepted schools participate in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme on a voluntary basis and can therefore leave the Scheme at any time. If your school/ establishment chooses to leave, it means you’ll cease to be eligible to participate in the Scheme (while at that school) and your benefits will become deferred.

Your school is required to consult with you on any changes and must enrol you into another qualifying pension scheme.*

If you were to move to another independent/accepted school which participates in the Scheme or move to a Local Authority, Academy or Multi Academy Trust or Higher Education/Further Education establishment you would be automatically enrolled back into Scheme and would be able to start building up benefits again.

If the new scheme that is offered to you is a ‘Defined Benefits’ scheme (as is the Teachers’ Pension Scheme) then you may be able to transfer your teacher’s pension over to it, as long as you do this within 12 months of entering the new scheme. If the new scheme is a ‘Defined Contributions’ scheme where the benefits paid are based on the performance of investments made with your contributions, you cannot transfer your teacher’s pension to it. This is because of changes made in overriding legislation in 2015 preventing the transfer of pensions from unfunded Defined Benefits schemes, such as the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, to ‘Defined Contribution’ schemes.