Brexit planning checklist for Academies

Government guidance for schools on preparing for Brexit has been updated.

The guidance was first published in January 2019 and has been revised to reflect developments. It could change further between now and the UK’s departure from the EU.

Checklist

People

• Staff, parents and carers who are EU, EEA or Swiss citizens need to apply for to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK. Irish citizens do not need to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme, but their family members, who are not Irish or British citizens, will need to.
• Once a new immigration system is introduced, EU, EEA and Swiss nationals will not be able to enter the UK for the sole purpose of attending a state-funded school. This will not prevent children who are entering the UK for another purpose (e.g. as a dependant of a worker or a student) from being eligible for a school place.
• Irish nationals continue to be protected under existing arrangements.
• UK nationals with children returning from the EU after Brexit will continue to be entitled to apply for a school place

Teachers

• Teachers with EU, EEA or Swiss teaching qualifications that have qualified teacher status (QTS) will continue to hold QTS.
• In the event of a no-deal Brexit, teachers that have applied for QTS before the exit date will be able to continue with their application under the previous system as far as possible. If there is no deal, a new system will apply after Brexit which will still enable teachers with EU, EEA or Swiss qualifications to apply for QTS.
• If there’s a no-deal Brexit, the Teaching Regulation Agency will no longer automatically receive or maintain details of teachers who have been sanctioned in EEA member states.
• So schools will need to conduct the same safer recruitment checks for applicants who have lived or worked outside the UK as they currently do for all other staff, plus make any other checks they think appropriate.
• If the UK leaves with a deal, the existing system for checking EEA sanctions will remain in place until at least 31 December 2020.

Further guidance

The guidance also covers: travel to the EU, and food and medical supplies. The full document can be downloaded from the government website.

Contact us

Please contact a member of our Education team if you would like to discuss how your school can prepare for Brexit.