Angry at plans to reduce their pension entitlements


Putney High School. Picture: Nick MacNeill

Teachers at Putney High School are taking unprecedented strike action this week in a dispute about their pensions.

Most of the teaching staff at the top independent girls’ school were not intending to turn up for work this Thursday 10 February with 5 more days of industrial action planned.

The strike has been prompted by changes by made by Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) which runs 22 other schools across the country including Notting Hill & Ealing High School and Wimbledon High.

95% of the teacher members of the National Education Union (NEU) employed by the Trust voted in favour of strike action with an 84% turnout. 1,500 NEU teachers are expected to take part in the first strike action in the Trust’s 149-year history. 71% of the Trust’s teaching staff are members of the NEU, as of December 2021.

The Trust is proposing to remove its teaching staff from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS). The NEU says that if this were to go ahead, teachers will be at least 20% worse off on average in terms of the annual amount they receive in pension payments.

The claim made by the Trust that the move is necessary because of its financial situation is disputed by the union which says the latest information in the public domain shows Trust finances to be in good health.

Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said, “The Girls’ Day School Trust has no justification in its plan to slash the pensions of its teaching staff. This will be a disaster for staff, for future recruitment and for pupils.

“Teachers always take strike action with a heavy heart, which is why this extraordinary mandate should give the Trust pause. Members are angry and determined to defend what is rightfully theirs. These are committed and hard-working staff who have been pushed to the point of taking action, the like of which the Girls’ Day School Trust has never seen. Teachers’ strength of feeling is unwavering.

“Be in no doubt that this is an attack on members’ terms and conditions of employment. The threat of ‘fire and rehire’ before so much as a word of consultation is all the evidence you need. It is also telling that the Trust has made no compelling argument to make this change to staff pensions. This is because they do not have one.

"Members will not be waiting for the Trust’s final decision in late February. That will be too late. Strike action on 10 February will send a clear message to parents and the wider public that the GDST is taking the wrong path. We call on the Council of the Girls' Day School Trust to unconditionally withdraw the proposal to leave the Teachers’ Pension Scheme now, not later. That is the surest way to settle this matter and avert strike action.”

Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretaries of the National Education Union, spoke at a rally in London at noon on 10 February in support of the teachers.

Cheryl Giovannoni, the CEO of GDST, said, "We are disappointed the NEU has called for strike action while GDST Trustees are still considering all of the feedback gathered during the collective consultation. This will create disruption for teachers, schools, students and their families.

"We understand the strength of feeling amongst our teachers and their concerns, but the NEU calling the proposed changes a disaster for staff and pupils is not right. Teachers are central to the success of the GDST, and we value their incredible contribution and dedication to the education of girls in our family of schools. We are proposing a strong alternative pension scheme, with a 20% employer contribution into a flexible, defined contribution pension plan, alongside other benefits. Teachers will also benefit from the GDST's enhanced ability to develop their total reward, including overall remuneration.

“We would not have put forward these proposals unless we felt they were necessary to support the long-term sustainability of the GDST family of schools, enabling us to continue to provide an excellent and affordable education for girls in our schools, and at the same time ensuring our teachers have a comfortable retirement.”
In a statement on its web site the Trust says that a 43% increase in employer contributions to the TPS in 2019 has left the GDST and other independent schools in the UK with a steep increase in employer contributions from 16.48% to 23.68% of teachers’ salaries (an extra cost of £6m each year). This increase funded the TPS scheme, but did not result in increased benefit to teachers’ pensions.

The government has covered this rise in the maintained sector but not for independent schools. The Trust says that around 300 independent schools have left or are planning to leave the TPS.

The schools are planning to lay on ‘meaningful educational activities’ during the strike days with safeguarding and wellbeing considerations paramount. The Trust says they will be aiming to make up for lost teaching time.

The subsequent five days of action planned are:

10 February
23 February
24 February
1 March
2 March
3 March

February 11, 2022