Teacher Pension Supplement

Following our consultation in December 2022 on the Early Years funding formula, School Forum recommended to the Cabinet Member that the 2023-24 early years hourly rates for School settings should incorporate the teacher pension grant (but not the pay grant element) into the early years funding formula at £0.23 for Qualified Teacher Status. The Cabinet Member ratified this at his decision-making meeting on 14 February 2023.

Specifically, the qualifying criteria has been defined (School Forum report 26 January 2023) as “where a setting employs a staff member with qualified teacher status (QTS) on a permanent basis/contract that is present and working directly with children the duration of any session attended by grant eligible 3-4 year-olds”. Qualification depends on a QTS working directly with children at each grant eligible session. This would exclude for example, a setting employing a teacher for 2 hours a week, or where a teacher has oversight of a session but is not working directly with children. Where a setting, school or PVI,  does not employ a teacher, it would not qualify for the supplement, and a school / PVI setting that does employ a teacher as described above does qualify.

In order to pay this teacher pension grant supplement, the Family Information Service will require you to inform us by responding to a termly email that you meet this criteria, provide the name of the staff with a QTS and to send us supporting evidence (e.g. contract/qualification or evidence of professional membership).

Once we have checked and approved your request you will automatically receive the supplement in your termly headcount payment.

Please note we are unable to backdate payment, so it is vital that you respond in a timely manner each term.