Break in service for teachers - Find a freedom of information request

1. Should a teacher moving down the pay scale require a break in service in order for a new contract to take effect?

The break in service effectively wipes out a career full of benefits earned such as sick pay and redundancy pay entitlement - resetting the clock back to zero.

This is in relation to a change in contract within the same school.  Even a change of school in the same local authority area is deemed as continuous service.

1. A break (of at least seven days) would be required in the case of a teacher being paid on the Upper Pay Scale (UPS) in accordance with the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 2018 Section 14.2  A school has discretion as regards UPS payment in accordance with Section 14.3 of the Document:

14.3. A relevant body may pay a teacher on the upper pay range if:

a) The teacher is defined as a “post-threshold teacher” but was not employed as a post-threshold teacher in that school or was employed as a post-threshold teacher in that school prior to a break in their continuity of employment;

As regards service benefits there would not be any effect on those that are accrued through aggregate service although it would affect service for redundancy purposes.