Divorcing teachers ‘in limbo’ amid pension valuation delays

Sarah, 46, a senior school leader from Staffordshire, founded a support group for TPS members who were waiting for their pension valuations.

“I applied for my CETV figure early in 2024. As the weeks and months passed, the bureaucratic delay added unimaginable stress to both myself and family,” she said.

“Reaching the decision to divorce is traumatic, but for this process to be held up by a pension figure algorithm is a difficult pill to swallow.

“I created a Facebook group, ‘We need our CETV’, and quickly hundreds of hard-working teachers joined and were sharing their experiences, each one heart-breaking.”

She said some members had incurred court charges due to missed financial hearings and others forced to remain living with former partners as they were unable to re-mortgage or sell their properties without their settlements.

Sarah added group members were now starting to get the “much-needed CETV figure”, which she received in mid-December.

“It would appear that retired members of our group are waiting even longer,” she added.

She said the delay had taken a “significant toll” on people’s well-being.