Introduction
August 2024 marks the end of my term of office as chair of the life members' sector council and the first national executive life member. The last three years have flown by!
It has been an honour and a privilege to serve in both positions and to try to represent life members in NAHT. I would like to record my thanks to all the members of the life members’ sector council who have so ably supported me. I would like to pay particular tribute to Mike Wilson, who has done an amazing job as communications officer. He has worked tirelessly to enhance the role and position of life members within our organisation.
It is with pride that I look back to the development of the life members’ committee as it was then, when Steve Iredale (past president), Mike Wilson and I joined in September 2016. It would be fair to say that it has transformed over the passing years into a vibrant, active and ‘challenging’ life member sector council. We are justly respected within NAHT, and acknowledged as a strong, purposeful council with clear aims, structures, communication and engagement with our members.
Over those years, we have nearly doubled those in life membership, with the total now standing in excess of 15,300. Our termly newsletter is widely read, and its articles are welcomed as informative, helpful and usually entertaining. The voice of life members is clearly heard both in national executive and with senior officers of the association, who regularly attend and contribute to our sector council meetings.
We now have active engagement from all the life member sector council representatives, who are active in all the regions as well as Northern Ireland and Wales. They ensure that there is the possibility of clear lines of communication between branches, regions, sector council and national executive. This communication works in both directions, so that life members who are on branch committees can get their views, concerns and aspirations heard by national executive.
Over recent years the life member sector council has worked hard to improve the benefits received by life members, and has been instrumental in many of the improved opportunities, such as NAHT Extras. This work continues and I am pleased to report that at our last sector council meeting in June, we had the opportunity to discuss with senior members of staff from Wesleyan, our new financial partners. We started an ongoing discussion with them as to the sort of support they could give life members or prospective life members.
Areas covered included:
- planning for the retirement you need
- savings and investments
- inheritance and investments
- tax relief
- insurances that cover life, home, car and travel
- planning for the future, care of elderly relatives and social care.
We were very impressed with their knowledge of our profession and ethos, and are confident to highly recommend their services to our life members. We will have regular meetings with Wesleyan on the sector council, to develop this important benefit. We would welcome your thoughts and feedback from future engagements. Planning has already started for seminars by Wesleyan on preparing for retirement. Information will be circulated to serving members shortly.
We also had an agenda item with Education Support and Sinéad Mc Brearty, its chief executive. We were delighted to hear that there was a lot of common ground where new initiatives could be developed with Education Support for prospective life members and existing life members. These included areas such as emotional support for members who leave the profession in challenging circumstances, as well as preparation for retirement and unexpected emotional lows, dealing with the loss of a partner or close family member, to name but a few. As a result, a life members’ sector council sub-committee has been set up to work with Sinéad and her team to deliver these programmes and to develop future support for life members.
If any life members have any thoughts on what areas might be worthwhile developing with Education Support, please let the life member sector council know. For more information on Education Support and its services, click here or call the helpline on 0800 917 4055.
Our intention going forward is to work more closely with national pension bodies; to be more proactive in the battles that may be forthcoming with state and professional pensions, irrespective of the political persuasion of the new government.
I will finish my last chair’s Introduction by sincerely thanking each and every life member who continues to play an active role in the branches and regions, supporting serving members, their schools and their young people. You are amazing. Your experience is invaluable, and NAHT would be much poorer without your engagement.
To each and every life member, I wish you a long, healthy and happy retirement.
With every good wish,
John Killeen
Life member sector council chair
Click on the links below to read more on each topic
Pension news
Transitional Protection Remedy
- Transitional Protection Remedy is live – if you have not yet drawn your benefits, you will be given a choice as to what to do with your benefits from the remedy period when you retire.
- If you have already retired and are in receipt of your benefits, Teachers’ Pensions is contacting members after October 2023 with their options, and it foresees that with the volume of members affected, they will be doing this through to 2025. Any changes to members’ entitlement will be backdated.
Lifetime allowance abolished
- Lifetime allowance (LTA) is the total value of pension savings you can have at retirement without incurring a tax charge. This takes into account your pension savings from all your pension schemes, but excludes your state pension. LTA was £1,073,100. The charge was removed from April 2023 and completely abolished from April 2024.
Updates to Teachers’ Pensions contribution bands and rates
- Each April, the member contribution bands are updated in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). In the year to September 2023, the CPI was 6.7%. Since 1 April 2024, the bands have been changed to reflect this.
- The employer contribution rate increased by 5% from 1 April 2024, from 23.68% to 28.68%. The government has announced an additional £1.1 billion to fund these costs, which is set out in a document known as Teachers’ Pension Employer Contribution Grant (TPECG) 2024. This grant is based on averages and therefore will mean that some schools do not get enough to cover the actual costs, depending on how their workforce is made up. Our policy team has worked on a joint letter with ASCL to press the Department for Education (DfE) to provide a supplementary fund to cover expected shortfalls.
- On the employee side, member contribution rates are also being reviewed, which the scheme does every four years – by the Government Actuary’s Department – and which is known as scheme valuation. The DfE has held a couple of consultation meetings with the teaching unions to review the member contribution structure that will apply from 1 April 2025. The DfE provided us with a number of illustrative options for a revised contribution structure and asked the teaching unions to put forward their preferred option. Common objectives included keeping things simple by sticking to a six-tier structure rather than changing the number of tiers, protecting lowest-paid staff and avoiding op-outs. Based on these objectives, all unions indicated preference for the same option, whereby all contribution rates except the lowest tier are increased by a fixed difference.
Wesleyan Financial Services
On a more personal level for NAHT members, we have a new partnership with Wesleyan Financial Services, which will provide specialist financial advice to our members. As a union, we are not legally allowed to provide financial advice, which is why we have partnered with Wesleyan, which specialises in this area. We have a page on our website for this, where members can see the financial services that Wesleyan provides – from income protection and retirement planning to mortgage advice, savings and investments, and inheritance tax planning. Members can contact Wesleyan to request a full financial review.
Teachers’ Pension Scheme website updates
There is a new scheme personalised calculator on the Teachers’ Pensions’ website that gives a forecast of pension benefits. This is accessible by logging onto or signing up for your My Pension Online account.
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Health and well-being: retirement
This is the second part of our series on retirement-conscious consideration points. Retirement-conscious consideration points – part one is available in the spring 2024 NAHT life members’ newsletter.
The tips and guidance below have been collated from the mental health and wellness website www.helpguide.org, where you can read more about managing well-being in retirement, ageing well and many other topics.
Find new purpose and meaning
For many of us, working is about more than just earning money. It also adds meaning and purpose to our lives. Your job can make you feel needed, productive and useful. It can provide goals, or simply give you a reason to get out of the house every day. Having purpose in life also fulfills some biological needs, helping to keep your brain and immune system healthy.
After retirement, it’s important to look for new sources of meaning – activities that add joy and enrich your life. In this respect, it can help if you’re not just retiring from something, but to something as well, whether that’s a fulfilling hobby, a volunteer position or continuing education, for example.
Retirement may not have to be all-or-nothing. Many people find that it can help to gradually transition into full-time retirement rather than jump right in. If your job allows, you could take a sabbatical or extended vacation to recharge your batteries and see how you deal with the slower pace of life. You can also use the time to gauge how well you can live on the budget you’ve allocated for retirement.
Another way to make retirement more of a gradual transition is to incrementally reduce the hours you work in your existing job, switch to a part-time job or work for yourself in some capacity. As well as providing purpose, part-time employment can also supplement your income, keep you socially engaged and ease the adjustment to retirement without you having to endure the demands of full-time work.
Volunteering can help expand your social network, boost your self-worth and improve your health. Donating your time and effort to a cause that’s important to you can add meaning and a sense of accomplishment to your retirement life, as well as benefit your community. It can also be a great opportunity to pass on some of the skills you’ve learned during your professional life, or learn new skills – keeping your brain active as you age. Read about volunteering and its surprising benefits here.
Nurture hobbies and interests – if you have a longstanding hobby that enriches your life, you’ve likely earmarked retirement as an opportunity to invest more of your time in pursuing it. If you’ve had to sacrifice your hobbies for the sake of your career, it’s time to resurrect old interests or nurture new ones – things you’ve always wanted to try. Whether your interests lie in traveling, nature, sports or the arts, for example, try enrolling in a club, joining a team or taking a class.
Learn something new. Whether you want to learn to play a musical instrument, speak a second language or complete a degree or high-school diploma, adult education classes are a great way to expand your mind, develop new interests and set fresh goals for yourself.
Consider a pet. If you’re an animal lover, caring for a pet can help you maintain a sense of usefulness and purpose in life. Pets, especially dogs and cats, also provide companionship as you age, can help boost your mood, ease stress, depression and anxiety, and improve your heart health. Read more here.
Manage retirement depression, stress and anxiety
After retirement, the commute, the deadlines, the demanding boss and the nine-to-five monotony may be over, but that doesn’t mean your life will automatically be stress- and anxiety-free. While workplace stress can take a serious toll on your health, especially if you lack job satisfaction, damaging stressors can also follow you into retirement.
You may worry about managing financially on a fixed income, coping with declining health or adapting to a different relationship with your spouse now that you’re at home all day. The loss of identity, routine and goals can impact your sense of self-worth, leave you feeling rudderless, or even lead to depression. Read about depression in older adults here. Whatever challenges you’re facing, though, there are healthy ways to ease stress and anxiety, better cope with change and improve your mood, outlook and overall well-being.
Adopt a relaxation practice – regularly practicing a relaxation technique such as meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, yoga or tai chi can help ease anxiety and stress, lower your blood pressure and improve your sense of well-being .
Get active – physical exercise is a very effective way to boost your mood, relieve tension and stress and help you feel more relaxed and positive as you get older. No matter your age or limitations in mobility, there are still ways for you to reap the benefits of regular exercise. Aim for 30 minutes of activity on most days.
Practice gratitude. It can sound simplistic when you’re in the midst of a major life change, but noting the things you’re grateful for is a quick and easy way to improve your mood and outlook. Take a moment to appreciate the small things in life, whether it’s a phone call from a friend, a moving piece of music or the feeling of the sun on your face, for example.
Spend time in nature. Spending time in green spaces can relieve stress, put a smile on your face and deepen your sense of well-being. Try hiking, fishing, camping, or walking in a park, along a beach, or through woods.
Break the worry habit. Chronic worrying is a mental habit that you can learn how to break. By challenging your anxious thoughts and learning to accept uncertainty in life, you can calm your anxious mind, look at life in a more balanced way, and reduce the time you spend worrying.
But don’t take it too easy… Having stress and challenges isn’t all bad for you. At manageable levels, stress can help you build resilience, solve problems and stay focused, energetic and engaged. Taking it too easy – spending your days napping, sitting on the couch, dozing in the sun or watching TV, for example – won’t help keep your brain active and alert.
In fact, a total lack of challenges may even harm your health and lead to cognitive decline and memory problems. The key is to keep challenging your brain without letting stress build up to where it becomes overwhelming, and you constantly feel frazzled or anxious.
Look after your health
Dealing with a major life change like retirement can take a toll on your physical and mental health, weakening your immune system and negatively impacting your mood. In addition to managing stress, finding new purpose, and staying socially and physically active, there are plenty of other ways to keep your body and mind healthy at this time.
Get enough quality sleep. It’s normal to experience changes in your sleeping patterns as you age, such as going to bed and waking up earlier. However, it’s not normal to feel tired during the day or frequently wake up feeling unrefreshed. A lack of sleep can exacerbate stress and anxiety so it’s important to address any sleep issues to ensure you’re getting enough good quality sleep at night.
Eat a healthy diet. As well as keeping your body healthy, eating a balanced, nutritious diet as you age can also help you maintain a positive outlook. Instead of being too restrictive, though, focus on eating fresh, tasty food in the company of others. Your mind and body will thank you.
Watch how much you drink. When you have time on your hands, it’s easy to slip into the habit of drinking too much or self-medicating your moods with alcohol or other substances. But leaning on alcohol or drugs for short-term relief will only exacerbate your problems in the long run.
Keep challenging your brain. Whether it’s finding stimulating ways to spend your days, learning a new skill, or playing new games, puzzles, or sports, it’s important to keep challenging your brain after you’ve retired. The more active you keep your brain, the better you’ll protect yourself from cognitive decline or memory problems. Try new variations of activities you enjoy or improve how well you do these activities. If you enjoy playing golf, for example, challenge yourself to lower your handicap. If you like to cook, experiment with new recipes and ingredients.
Add structure to your days. There’s comfort in routine. While you may not miss your morning commute, you may miss the daily routine of eating lunch at a certain time or chatting with colleagues during a coffee break. Even if you’re still figuring out what you want to do with your retirement, try to establish a loose daily schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, allow yourself to linger over breakfast or to read the newspaper, for example, but schedule times for exercising and socializing with friends.
Helpful links
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An update from NAHT's member services team
Continuing to remain a member of NAHT after retirement continues to be a popular option. In the past 12 months, life membership has grown by 14% (paying members). This year, on average 45% of retiring members have converted to life membership each month. This shows the success of the scheme and the opportunity to grow life membership further. The member services team continues to proactively contact retiring members and highlight the significant benefits life members enjoy.
This year, membership has increased to more than 38,000 paying members, an increase of 38% members since 2013. The successful growth is continuing this year. We have recruited more than 1,000 new members, with fewer leavers. The biggest reason for members leaving is ‘leaving the profession’.
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Here are the details of meetings of NAHT's life member sector council in 2024:
Life member sector council meeting – 11am to 3pm on Tuesday 12 November 2024, Millbank Tower, London, and via Teams
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Please contact your NAHT national office for support, guidance, representation and advice
Life member sector council: who's who?
Click here to see information about who's who on the LMSC.
Each NAHT LMSC member is annually elected by the appropriate NAHT region executive committee or NAHT devolved nation (NAHT Cymru and NAHT NI) executive committee.
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