We have years of experience working closely with many schools across the UK, providing ongoing support and specialist advice around the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), other staff pensions and wider employee benefits.
Both schools and teachers have seen their payments into the scheme rise to their highest levels ever. However, for most teachers this doesn’t result in a more generous pension because members have been moved onto a career average basis for future accumulation, rather than final salary.
In addition, some teachers also saw contributions increase due to TPS salary band level adjustment and wage inflation. As a result, they paid more without any corresponding increase in pension benefit.
While every school is unique, those operating primarily as charities or trusts may feel greater pressure to manage the rising costs associated with the TPS.
Against this background, we consider every option when researching alternative pension and benefit arrangements, whether that is for some or all teachers and/or the wider workforce.
TPS offers ill-health and death-in-service benefits to members. If you are considering reviewing your future participation in the scheme, it’s important to take these elements into account. That’s why our specialist pension and health and protection teams offer comprehensive support, ensuring every angle is carefully considered.
We can now offer further in-depth expertise in this market after the Secondsight team and Punter Southall’s employee benefit specialists joined forces in an acquisition completed early in 2024.
By coming together, we’re adding to a long history of successfully supporting independent schools as they review their benefits.
If your school leaves the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, our work doesn’t stop there. Framing the benefits of your new pension scheme and how to make the most of them, builds stronger bonds with your staff. We also carry out continuing due diligence on the scheme and ensure legal compliance.
A pension is a long-term investment. The fund value may fluctuate and can go down, which would have an impact on the level of pension benefits available. Pension income could also be affected by interest rates at the time benefits are taken.
Pension savings are at risk of being eroded by inflation.
The tax treatment of pensions in general and tax implications of pension withdrawals will be based on individual circumstances, tax legislation and regulation, which are subject to change in the future.
The value of your investment can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount invested.
Past performance is not a guide to future performance and should not be used to assess the risk associated with the investment.