Introduction
A warm welcome to all our life members who are reading this latest edition of the life members’ newsletter.
I would like to express my appreciation to all the life members who took the time to comment so positively on the previous editions of the newsletter and those who raised life member issues with me, which I was able to follow up and hopefully resolve to a greater extent.
It has been a busy time. I had the pleasure of attending NAHT Officials’ Conference and NAHT Policy Conference at County Hall in London. It was great to see so many life members also in attendance, and it reminded me of the continued role that so many of you play as officials in your regions and branches.
I think it is fair to say that NAHT would struggle without you and would certainly be the poorer if we lost your expertise and support. Once again on behalf of your association, my sincere thanks for all your hard work.
I also attended the NAHT Executive Committee meeting in Birmingham on 7 and 8 October. As I have previously stated, I am genuinely proud to be the first life member to be elected onto the Executive in its 125-year history, and I will do my best to serve life members’ interests well during my term of office. At these meetings, work is divided into whole Executive times, as well as professional committee, membership services committee, education policy committee, assessment and accountability group and the diversity and inclusion group.
As well as contributing to the main Executive Committee meetings, I sit on the membership services committee, where I give a full report on the latest life member sector council meeting. I also represent life members on the professional committee and the diversity and inclusion group. These are the areas I believe most closely relate to life member issues and where your matters and voice need to be heard. Please continue to use me as a channel for your issues to be raised, if appropriate (email john.killeen@nahtofficials.org.uk).
One of the matters that I was contacted by a life member colleague recently concerned the support that NAHT can give to members who leave leadership under difficult circumstances, often well before normal retirement age. We celebrate that we are an association for ‘life’, so surely we have an obligation to look after those who have ‘retired’ due to the pressures of Ofsted, local authorities, academies, governors and parents – who may well need support with their mental well-being? I have asked NAHT officers to investigate this. I know that regional officers do an amazing job supporting colleagues in the process of leaving the profession; but what do we do afterwards for them? I shall continue to work with the life member sector council to see what more can be done to support members in these circumstances.
To conclude on a happier note, I trust that you have all signed up to NAHT Extras and have the ‘NAHT Hapi' app on your phone and tablet. It is simple to sign up to, and can save you a lot of money on your daily expenses and shopping. Contact membership services on 0300 303 0333 if you have any difficulties. It is free with your membership!
Every good wish with planning your holidays and family gatherings and Happy Christmas!
John Killeen
Life member sector council (LMSC) chair
Click on the links below to read more on these topics
This year has seen the transition to sector council continuing to move forward, building on the expertise already within the former life members’ committee.
We are fortunate to have a strong team of representatives from all regions, as well as from Wales and Northern Ireland. Most regions now also have a deputy representative, so that in the event of a formal representative not being able to attend, they can come to the meeting to ensure a full representation on each occasion. Meetings have been held virtually but are hopefully returning to normal this autumn.
Much work has been done to raise the profile of life members within the association. Updating of information on the website continues to be a priority, as well as seeking to improve communication between council members and life Members within regions.
We continue to be proactive in ensuring that the needs of life members are fully met by the association, and it is hoped that they will be even better informed once the website has been fully updated.
The future continues to look promising, as we now have a representative from this sector council sitting on the National Executive and taking a fuller part in the work of the association overall.
Nigel Paton
LMSC vice-chair
NAHT provides a free and confidential support line to all members that can be reached on 0800 917 4055. This service is available all year round and during out-of-office hours. Find out more here.
The age discrimination remedy moves on at pace. It is now clear that affected members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) will be able to exercise a choice between receiving legacy (final salary) and reformed (career average revalued earnings) scheme benefits at the point that benefits are put into payment. This means members need to take no action and will only have a choice to make at retirement.
Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) members don’t need to take any action at all (there is no choice to make at retirement). This is because there is a mechanism already in operation in the LGPS to ensure members get the better of legacy or reformed benefits, and this mechanism has been extended and made available to all affected members (regardless of age) for a longer period – this will remove the discrimination.
The administration changes required to correct the age discrimination are huge, and primary legislation is also needed to amend the way the schemes operate as public sector pension schemes are statutory in nature. This means that it will take some time for the practical changes to be made to allow pensions to be paid on an amended basis. Therefore, anyone who is retiring imminently (or has already retired) will be contacted in due course to ensure that their pension is also included in the remedy exercise. It is likely that retirements from April 2022 onwards will be made on the corrected basis, but there is a chance this timetable could slip due to the size of the exercise.
The legacy schemes will close on 31 March 2022, with any members in pensionable service at that date joining the relevant reformed scheme. This means that some members who believed they could remain in the legacy schemes will not be able to do so. NAHT has produced a factsheet for members in relation to this.
Breach of ‘triple lock’ for basic and new state pension.
The government has announced that the triple lock will be suspended for one year. Instead, those pensions subject to the triple lock will be increased by the higher of 2.5% or CPI inflation.
The triple lock is a guarantee that state pensions will be increased each year in line with either earnings growth or price inflation, or by 2.5%, whichever is highest. It was introduced to undo the damage caused by the decision in 1980 to delink the state pension from earnings.
The government’s decision to scrap the earnings link for next year's state pension uprating, while expected, will disappoint pensioners who were potentially in line to receive an 8 per cent boost to their state pension. The figure of 8% was in play before the suspension largely due to wage effects linked to the unwinding of the Government’s furlough scheme.
Independent schools
From 1 August, the participation rules in the TPS have changed to allow for the phased withdrawal of independent schools. This will allow independent schools to withdraw TPS to new entrants while keeping existing employees in the scheme.
Goodwin’ equalisation of widowers’ benefits
The outcome of the Goodwin case will be implemented soon. This means all surviving widowers, widows and civil partners should receive survivor pensions based on all their spouse/partner’s service from April 1972 onwards. This extends the April 1972 service date to male widowers of female teachers, which will benefit the survivor of at least 13,000 female teachers.
TPS has now started the administration for Goodwin, following the passing of the necessary regulations. This will take approximately two years to complete. The immediate priority is to deal with the approximate 13,000 cases where a widower’s benefit is currently in payment at the wrong level. Members can do nothing to expedite the process. TPS will contact anyone impacted.
Kate Atkinson
NAHT head of advice
I first joined NAHT as a member in 1992, when I realised that as an acting head teacher in Blackpool I was being torn in different directions. Quickly understanding the power of support, I became the NAHT secretary of Wyre and Fylde district in Lancashire, and later Lancashire treasurer and president, as well as North West president, North West region training officer and North West region treasurer not long after I retired in 2009. My headship was served in Lancashire’s premier holiday area of Knott End and Preesall, at Carter’s Charity Primary School.
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Because of health issues (heart attack and quad bypass in 2003), I took early retirement at the age of 55. As well as remaining NAHT activities, I then worked with students at the University of Cumbria and worked alongside the Blackpool FC Community Trust on a number of projects, at the same time as the first team made it to the dizzy heights of the Premier League.
One of the projects I was asked to help with was the new sport of Walking Football. This was a short six-week course funded through AgeUK in order to entice unfit males over the age of 50 off the sofa and back into meaningful physical activity. One of my first recruits was Les Turner (Lancashire NAHT intervention officer and a major Sunderland supporter – well known for his national Conference speeches). How this was to change our lives over the last eight years was never to be predicted.
Forget TV adverts and the ‘Father Ted’ version of mature footballers. Our ‘little’ project has continued to thrive, with mixed genders now included and an age range of 50 to 80 being accommodated in twice-weekly sessions. The inevitable happens when you put competitive people together. The Blackpool Senior Seasiders emerged as a club in 2015, with tournaments and games being played all over the country against like-minded teams.
Walking Football is the fastest growing sport in the country. Club successes have been registered in the English Football League national competition, being finalists, winners and semi-finalists in the three years it was run. We now play as Blackpool FC Senior Seasiders, having joined together with the championship team set-up.
Having been selected to play at North West over-60s level on a couple of occasions, I was honoured to be nominated for a full England trial for the newly forming over-65s national group. Unfortunately, due to covid restrictions, these were cancelled last year and it appeared that the chance had passed me by. However, I received a late call up in July to attend Burton Albion for a final trial and was successful in making the final squad of 12.
September has seen a group training session in Gloucester, before a tournament organised at St George’s Park, near Burton – home of the England football team. Not bad for a 67-year-old who was told 50 years ago that he was too small (at 5 feet 10 inches) to make it in football as a goalkeeper.
The new national squad is coming together nicely and looking forward to games against other countries, being organised next year.
Steve Hyde
England Walking Football over-65s goalkeeper and NAHT life member, North West Region
- LMSC 19 January; Executive Committee 20-21 January
- LMSC 9 March; Executive Committee 10-11 March
- LMSC 22 June; Executive Committee 23-24 June
- LMSC 12 October; Executive Committee 13-14 October
Venues are yet to be confirmed.
In each life member newsletter you will find brief details of several members of the NAHT life member sector council. More details about who's who in the LMSC are available here.
John Killeen
- Elected representative: NAHT Yorkshire Region
- LMSC elected member and LMSC chair 2021-25
- Nationally elected life member National Executive representative 2021-25
- john.killeen@nahtofficials.org.uk
Nigel Paton
Michael Wilson
Eugene Symonds
Remembering an NAHT life member: should any NAHT branch or region/devolved nation wish to record the life and service of an NAHT life member who has passed away, please email michael.wilson@nahtofficials.org.uk and magnus.gorham@naht.org.uk.
Please ensure that you have the permission of the family to celebrate the life of the NAHT life member via the NAHT life member newsletter.