Teacher redundancy and school restructures

A teacher made redundant in England has the same statutory rights as other employees: a fair consultation, fair selection, consideration of alternative work and, with two years’ service, statutory redundancy pay. What is particular to schools is who takes the decisions and how a loss of post is treated for pay. Governing bodies and local authorities have roles that depend on the type of school, and the teachers’ pay document has rules on safeguarding salary.

Why schools restructure

A school’s staffing structure can change when a school closes, merges or reorganises, or when posts and responsibilities are redrawn. The staffing structure matters because the pay document ties pay decisions to a teacher’s post within it. When posts change, the question is whether your job is still needed, whether a different job fits, and what happens to your pay if you move.

Consultation and selection

GOV.UK says that if an employer does not consult in a redundancy situation, any redundancies it makes will almost certainly be unfair. Consultation must be carried out with a view to reaching agreement, including ways of avoiding or reducing the redundancies, though it does not have to end in agreement.

Collective consultation rules apply where 20 or more employees are to be made redundant within 90 days at one establishment. The minimum consultation period before dismissals is 30 days for 20 to 99 and 45 days for 100 or more. Below 20 there are no set rules, but it is good practice to consult fully. Selection must be fair, and employers cannot select on grounds such as age, gender, disability or pregnancy. The redundancy rights guide covers the general law, including the £751 weekly pay cap used for redundancies on or after 6 April 2026.

Who decides in a school

The DfE’s staffing guidance explains that in community, voluntary-controlled and maintained nursery schools, the local authority has a statutory entitlement to send a representative to all proceedings relating to the selection or dismissal of any teacher, including the head and deputy, and the governing body must consider its advice. In foundation, voluntary-aided and foundation special schools the authority has that entitlement only if a written agreement provides for it. The guidance recommends that advice and decisions are documented.

In an academy, the trust is the employer. If the school converts to an academy, the TUPE guide explains what transfers with you, and the pay document notes that a TUPE transfer on academy conversion does not break continuity for upper pay range purposes.

Statutory redundancy pay

You normally need at least two years’ service. Pay is half a week’s pay for each full year of service under 22, one week for each full year at 22 to 40, and one and a half weeks at 41 and over, capped at 20 years. Your weekly pay is your average over the 12 weeks before you got your redundancy notice. For redundancies on or after 6 April 2026 the weekly pay cap is £751 and the maximum statutory payment is £22,530. Some employers pay more under their own terms, so ask what your school or trust offers in writing. For tax, see the redundancy pay tax guide.

If you move to another post: safeguarding

The 2026 pay and conditions document protects some teachers’ pay when a post is lost or changed. It applies in these cases, among others:

• you lose a post because a school is discontinued, altered or reorganised (or another educational establishment or service closes), and you then take a new post with the same authority
• your TLR1, TLR2 or unqualified teacher allowance is removed or reduced because of a change to the pay policy or staffing structure
• the number of leadership posts is reduced, or a leadership pay range is lowered

The safeguarded sum is paid until the third anniversary of the relevant date, with earlier endings in some cases, and TLR3s are not safeguarded. If safeguarded sums total more than £500, the school must review your duties and give you additional duties commensurate with the sum, and unreasonable refusal can end the payment with a month’s notice. The safeguarding guide covers the detail.

What to check

• Ask for the school’s redundancy or restructuring policy and the staffing proposals in writing.
• Find out who the employer is (the authority, the governing board or the trust) and whether the authority has a right to attend.
• Check the dates for any claim: six months to claim statutory redundancy pay.
• Ask your union rep, Acas or an employment adviser about unfair selection or inadequate consultation. Tribunal time limits are short, and the early conciliation guide explains the first step.