TUPE is a ‘regulatory mechanism’ for ensuring the protection of principal employee terms and conditions when a ‘business’ (in your case, a school) is transferred to a new employer. The most typical education-related example is when an LA-maintained school becomes an academy or transfers to a multiple-academy trust (a MAT). TUPE may also apply in cases where two schools close and combine to become a brand new school, or where the provision of services (e.g. cleaning or catering) transfer or are outsourced to a third-party provider.