When a school converts to an academy, non-teaching staff are entitled to membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). The appropriate LGPS fund for an academy is determined by its geographical location, some multi academy trusts (MATs) will have academies located across different geographical areas and will have LGPS arrangements with a number of different funds.
Academies/MATs automatically become a separate scheme employer (known as ‘a scheduled body’) in the North Yorkshire Pension Fund (NYPF).
North Yorkshire Council (NYC) school please see the Schools converting to an academy Guide and Checklist.
City of York Council (CoYC) school please see the Schools converting to an academy Guide and Checklist.
Staff eligible for the LGPS
- Any non-teaching/support staff, who are members of the LGPS at the date of conversion.
- Any non-teaching/support staff who have opted out of the LGPS. These employees should be enrolled into the LGPS after conversion. They have the option to opt out again if they wish.
- Any new non-teaching/support staff who join the academy after conversion.
Information you need to provide
If your school is considering converting to an academy it is important that you contact the Employer Relationship team in the pensions section as soon as possible, ideally at least eight weeks prior to conversion. Contact details and further information can be found in the guide and checklist as detailed above.
Fees
A detailed breakdown of the legal and actuarial fees is provided in the guide and checklist as detailed above.
Outsourcing services
If the academy or MAT chooses to outsource a service to an external third party contractor, and that involves transferring employment of individuals, the contractor must also offer access to the LGPS to those employees who are transferring, under Fair Deal.
To do this the contractor must seek admitted body status in the NYPF. Further information can be found in outsourcing a contract to a third party provider – admission agreements.