Teachers win compensation in legal claim over pension value delays

The action was brought by 83 current and former teachers who said they had been left in prolonged uncertainty and distress after waiting months for legally required Cash Equivalent Transfer Values (CETVs) and other entitlement information. The claim was supported by NASUWT, the teachers’ union

A CETV is required to determine the value of a pension pot. Without this information it is almost impossible to effectively plan for retirement, or reach a financial settlement in divorce proceedings.

Claimants were made to wait months, and in some cases years, for their CETVs.

Lawyers from Leigh Day wrote to the DfE in 2025 setting out the position of NASUWT members, giving the department a grace period of six months to address the issues before filing claims on behalf of members in January 2026.

Teachers bringing the claim argued that the DfE failed in its statutory duties and left its members in limbo, despite repeated warnings and opportunities to resolve the matter without court involvement.

Now, the DfE has accepted responsibility for the failures and agreed to provide compensation to affected teachers, and issue all outstanding CETVs.

Wendy Dopheide, one of the teachers who participated in the claim, said:

"I first enquired about applying for my CETV from Teachers' Pensions in summer 2023. As became the norm, I heard nothing back for several weeks, by which time I had turned 60 and had to pay for this information. Over the next two years, I sent secure messages and raised complaints with Teachers' Pensions, but was met either with stony silence or platitudes about the delays.

"I finally received my CETV 22 months after applying for it. Throughout this time, the protracted divorce process meant my solicitor's fees were increasing with every letter and phone call. It was an incredibly anxious, stressful and expensive time. I remain very angry that the information I was entitled to, and had had to pay for, was not forthcoming. I felt totally powerless as I was often just met with a wall of silence from Teachers' Pensions.

"Having joined the collective action initiated by Leigh Day, I finally felt supported and listened to. From the beginning, Leigh Day were professional, communicative and helpful."

Leigh Day partner Ryan Bradshaw, who represents the teachers, said:

“We are delighted to have secured an amicable settlement on behalf of our clients, which would not been possible without the support of their workplace union. It is a shame that we were required to issue claims in order to ensure our clients obtained the compensation they were entitled to.

“This regrettable situation has once again highlighted the issues of maladministration that arise all too often when public services are outsourced to private providers.”

NASUWT General Secretary Matt Wrack said:

“We gave the DfE ample time and opportunity to resolve this matter but their failure to address this satisfactorily left us with no choice but to take legal action.

“Our members have won justice and this is a clear and important victory for teachers who were badly let down.

“They were left feeling distressed and suffered financial harm because the DfE failed to meet its legal duties. Teachers who had paid into their pensions in good faith had every right to expect the Teachers' Pension Scheme to be there for them when they needed it.

“This result has also set a precedent that will protect thousands of teachers in the future. This victory shows that when teachers are treated unfairly the NASUWT will take action and we will win for them.”