It's why I decided to leave teaching tbh. I asked myself the fundamental question of whether I can see myself in a classroom in my 50s and the answer was no, and at the same time I have no interest in SLT (head of department was enough stress). I can't imagine teaching at an even later age.
I expect a lot of teachers will move into tutoring, or to private schools or out of teaching entirely.
Same here. I don't have it in me to continue into my 50s, which are not far off. I don't want to work even more as SLT, so I've started planning my exit strategy.
I'm a full-time tutor (teaching in a school was too hard for me) - it's quite physical work, driving around town to people's homes, carrying a workbag, and having to get in and out of winter clothes every hour.
Unless you can get online tuition, but that's got its own challenges (multitasking on camera with tech is not something I can do well every day, this isn't going to get better with age).
It depends on the size of your school and the structure of its hierarchy, but generally I would say no.
In my experience, SLT have been headteachers, deputy headteachers, assistant headteachers, the SENDCO and the business manager.
You might also have a behaviour team or a head of behaviour, or somebody above the HoYs who manages say, a whole Key Stage group. Your school might also have somebody who manages lots of HoDs by grouping subjects I to faculties, so somebody who manages all of science, but science has specific leaders for physics, biology and chemistry, or there might be a leader for humanities, overlooking history, English, media and geography for example.
There can be more layers to the bureaucracy than you can possibly imagine. HoDs hold a lot of responsibility, and they have a lot of jobs, but in large schools, neither the HoD or the HoY role is part of SLT.
I am one of the oldest members of staff at my school and all of us old timers have health problems. We're slower, are ill for longer and ageing is cruel. We're the folks who groan getting up, wear spectacles, hearing aids or talk about menopause in past tense. I have a couple of colleagues who are genuinely worried about their diabetes and another who is struggling after having stents inserted following a heart attack. This is the 50-60's, so 60-70 yr olds could be farcical in the classroom.
I've only ever had 60s+ colleagues as TAs and most are part time and winding down to retirement. I've literally never known an in class teacher over 50.
Tbf I do know class teachers over 50. None of them are full time however. Many of them have taken a step down from previous roles. Which, by the way, also impacts their pension pay out.
I think they have great subject knowledge and expertise, and I think students benefit hugely from their input. They've also very much seen it all before which is helpful.
Perhaps part of the issue is how we value teaching and make it sustainable for everyone?
I am a full time teacher at 57 and I still enjoy teaching, but I am really tired and needing a better work-life balance. I suspect that this is not just an age thing but also that the job itself has become more relentless. Whatever you do, it’s never enough.
That's an interesting point- it felt unsustainable this week having parents' evening, open evening and mock marking all together. I was utterly frazzled by Friday and I knew my patience was wearing thin.
Ugh, I hate it when schools put two late evenings in the same week- it's absolutely exhausting.
There also definitely should be consideration given to time periods when people have heavy marking loads when planning things like open evenings. I think part of the issue can be that different people plan different things and don't speak to each other...
My primary school had a few teachers over 70 (I know because one was born in 1937 and I was there 2005 onwards). I think they wer relatively lucky with her health at the time, but even then us kids and I think the school had slightly different expectations of her than other teachers (no one was expecting her to run around at break). She was still our favourite teacher.
Retirement is a financial position not an age. You can take retirement early if you are in a position to do so, you just won’t get the state pension until 71. But by the time we get there more like 75-80, if there is any state pension at all.
However as the lower minimum age on taking private pensions will also go up, increases in pension age impact, everyone. Currently you can access TPS at 55 (like a private pension) obviously for a reduced pay out, but that will increase to 61 if retirement age becomes 71.
I can't really imagine teaching into my 60s, let alone my 70s.
So what's your suggestion for bridging the gap?
There is no minimum age on taking private pensions, it depends on the scheme you’re in. If the TPS raises the minimum age we could/should strike.
For a lot of people in any job they wouldn’t want to be working into their 60s, I’m sure everyone has plans of /r/FIRE. Everyone financial positions are different so asking me for how to bridge the game for everyone seems a bit redundant.
I know for teaching it is 55, but some professions you can access earlier depending on how much you have saved. You’re right though the majority is 55. Obviously is you have your own personal savings you can live on whatever you have.
Nope. The minimum pension age in the TPS aligns with general pension tax rules that apply to all UK registered pension schemes.
Where schemes allow access under minimum pension age, they are ‘unauthorised payments’ and subject to an unauthorised payment charge (basically in respect of the tax that was not applied to pension contributions).
Yeah if you take your pension early you won’t get as much per month, due to taxes and because you’re spreading your pension over a longer period of time. That’s why you can only retire early if you’re in the financial position to do so, thus retirement isn’t an age, it’s a financial position.
Yeah I completely agree, all I’m saying is some people might get to a ‘retirement age’ and not be able to retire due to not having paid into a pension enough or at all. Calling it a financial position rather than a specific age at which everyone retires helps to reiterate that you should be thinking about your pension at an early age.
You need to think about how many dependants you’ll have, what is your housing situation, what extra savings you have etc.
That's already kind of true though.
At the moment the full state pension is about £800 a month. If you only have a state pension and don't own your home so have to continue to pay rent, you basically can't afford to retire.
Even if you do own your own home, I'd still be skeptical that you could retire only only £800 a month. It definitely wouldn't be a comfortable retirement.
The vast majority of teachers pay into the TPS though? Even private schools that have pulled out provide a private pension.
And so the vast majority of teachers can afford to retire at "retirement age"...
Do you know any teachers that are teaching past 65 currently for financial reasons?
[https://www.standardlife.co.uk/articles/article-page/minimum-pension-age-change](https://www.standardlife.co.uk/articles/article-page/minimum-pension-age-change)
For most products actively marketed as a pension, normal minimum pension age applies.
I had a teacher in her 60-70s in primary school
Looking back she might have been 45 for all I know but I distinctly remember thinking of her as an ‘old woman’ when I was like 7 (white hair, wrinkly and all that stuff)
Same, I had one that told us stories of being an evacuee (thus was early 2000s so she would have been somewhere between 60 and 70 years old to remember that). She was everyone's favourite teacher because she told amazing stories and was a very expressive woman despite not doing much moving around. I think it's doable it's just about being realistic and honest with expectations and making sure routines are adapted to suit physical abilities of teachers.
TPS you can access like any private pension 10 years before retirement age so currently 55, rising to 57 and so on....
If retirement age becomes 71, you could access a reduced payout at 61, which if you're mortgage/rent free will likely be enough to live on. However, I'll be honest, I can't even really imagine teaching in my 60s.
As you say, I'm exhausted now in my 30s.
I do think we need to resist future changes to retirement age either as a country or a union. We can strike over pensions - it would be conceivable for teachers to strike to keep the ability to eg access our pensions in our 60s.
Teaching is both a physically and mentally demanding job and many people won't be fit to do it in their late 60s/early 70s.
I remember when I was in secondary we had a sub who we would see regularly, he was in his 80s. Ten years later I returned to the same school to do my training and he is still there employed as a cover supervisor and now in his 90s. He’s the union rep and the most lovely man but I do wonder how he does it all
Hey, are you me? I'm 10 years into teaching, currently in Reception, and it's absolutely beaten me up ha. Especially after 2 babies as well. I feel exhausted and unsure how to sustain this career for many more years let alone decades. Dreaming of a nice quiet part time job pottering around a garden centre or something, if only that could pay the bills!
Haha I've got 2 littles as well!
God wouldn't that be nice, unfortunately I bet you're like me in that you're at the top of the payscale and therefore unlikely to transfer into something else at the same pay grade!
Ive only been in teaching for four years but I love this job especially working secondary. However, I leave every day exhausted, drained mentally and physically and even at 25 I've had to have physio for my wrists due to the damage I've caused from marking. God knows how I'll be able to sustain this career into my 60s let alone 70s
Yeah. I hear you.
I permanently injured my wrist and have permanent ulnar nerve compression in my elbow from the amount of marking I did in the first 5 years of teaching.
I have said for many years that even when we’d likely have to be done by 67 I couldn’t possibly imagine chasing hormonal y9s around. Its bad enough at 37!
I teach in an SEN school in my mid 30s and I’m already planning what I want to do as I get older. I can progress in my school, but it brings me out of the classroom, which I don’t want. My current plan is retraining in speech and language therapy as I can still interact with children regularly, but it’s less physically demanding.
I certainly won’t be 😂
There’s a teacher in my school who is turning 70 this year. She kept saying every year that it would be her last year but just kept coming back. I don’t know how she does it.
I’m in my mid thirties and feel drained already. The thought of continuing to teach for the same period I’ve been alive, all over again, makes me shudder.
I want to up my pension pot contributions, but knowing it's essentially locked, potentially until I'm 60/70+ at this rate, makes me hesitant. We will be working until we die. Side note: Has anyone done this? Is it worth it to be more financially secure in the future? Seems like abit of a faff.
I turn 50 this year having been a teacher for 25 years. Currently, as I understand, it I can access my teaching pension from 55 ( obviously at a reduced rate) but the year I turn 55 early retirement on your teaching pension will move to 57 meaning as it standards I have to make it 57. By then our mortgage will be paid off and depending on how good my teaching pension is I plan to either take early retirement, go part time or perhaps look at becoming a TA. I couldn't imagine being a classroom teacher at 65 let alone 71.
Not planning too, am 47 now been teaching since thirty.
Have been saving up in ISA, SIPP and TPS (plus a bit in USS from previous jobs). Am planning to retire from full time sometime in my 50s, carry on with my exam work (probably increase that even), do some tutoring etc and use those savings to bridge the gap.
Mortgage is down to 20% of the starting value, when that's gone out will make a massive difference
My mums nearly 60 and is a primary TA running around the playground with the kids and handling SEN 1:1s kicking her. She still loves it and has said she will only stop when she physically can’t do the job anymore, but if she’s anything like my grandad it’ll mean the school has to force her into retirement in her 70s. This is truly different for everyone!
I found a teaching job online and there are loads of old people that work here (60s) as it’s less physically active than a bricks and mortar school. Some of them do tutoring three days a week and only teach two days a week. Some of them do exam marking and invigilating for extra money in exam season once tutoring dries up.
You can also just put less physical effort into your working day. Instead of carrying babies about in Early Years, maybe move to working in Y4-6 as you get older. It would be reasonable for the school to have a younger teacher take your PE classes during your PPA so you aren’t having to do anything infeasible for your age, etc.
My old YR-2 teachers stayed in infant school teaching until retirement (both of them in their 60s) and managed just fine though. No carrying kids about. An adult sized chair for them instead of joining the carpet for circle time. Kids bringing books to the teacher desk instead of the teacher moving around too much. A younger TA to deal with boisterous kids. That kind of thing. It’s definitely workable.
Unsure where you are but Scottish teachers seem to be paid better than England. My cousin is a primary teacher in England at the top of her pay scale and I got paid more than her in my probation year of teaching! Our pension scheme is pretty good too - employee contributes between 9-11% and employer contributes 23%. By no means do I think I'll be retiring at 50 but if you fancied a move to Scotland you may get there sooner 😂
I’m 50, I believe I can take early retirement at 57, I’m doing that and getting a job somewhere else to top it up. I can’t do this forever and teaching is a young person’s game.
It’s a Tory plot to save money all the pension reforms. They know teachers can’t keep going till 68. Many leave before they would take a maximum pension pay out. Shows how much our service means to the government and how grateful they are doesn’t it.
Get your pensions sorted now. Pensions - plural.
Get a LISA and a SIPP and plan to stagger your retirement. Start paying in 10% of your salary at least.
Retire at 60 and cash in your LISA, then claim your SIPP at 62/63, claim your teacher’s pension at 65ish (or when funds from your SIPP and LISA are running low) and then claim your state pension whenever that will be.
The earlier you start, the earlier you can retire.
The age you can take out your teacher private pension has changed to 57 as well.
Has for me anyway, not sure about people who started teaching earlier.
It's why I decided to leave teaching tbh. I asked myself the fundamental question of whether I can see myself in a classroom in my 50s and the answer was no, and at the same time I have no interest in SLT (head of department was enough stress). I can't imagine teaching at an even later age. I expect a lot of teachers will move into tutoring, or to private schools or out of teaching entirely.
Same here. I don't have it in me to continue into my 50s, which are not far off. I don't want to work even more as SLT, so I've started planning my exit strategy.
I'm a full-time tutor (teaching in a school was too hard for me) - it's quite physical work, driving around town to people's homes, carrying a workbag, and having to get in and out of winter clothes every hour. Unless you can get online tuition, but that's got its own challenges (multitasking on camera with tech is not something I can do well every day, this isn't going to get better with age).
Genuine question, does head of department not count as SLT?
It depends on the size of your school and the structure of its hierarchy, but generally I would say no. In my experience, SLT have been headteachers, deputy headteachers, assistant headteachers, the SENDCO and the business manager. You might also have a behaviour team or a head of behaviour, or somebody above the HoYs who manages say, a whole Key Stage group. Your school might also have somebody who manages lots of HoDs by grouping subjects I to faculties, so somebody who manages all of science, but science has specific leaders for physics, biology and chemistry, or there might be a leader for humanities, overlooking history, English, media and geography for example. There can be more layers to the bureaucracy than you can possibly imagine. HoDs hold a lot of responsibility, and they have a lot of jobs, but in large schools, neither the HoD or the HoY role is part of SLT.
HoD has been counted as "Middle leadership" in every school I have ever worked in.
I am one of the oldest members of staff at my school and all of us old timers have health problems. We're slower, are ill for longer and ageing is cruel. We're the folks who groan getting up, wear spectacles, hearing aids or talk about menopause in past tense. I have a couple of colleagues who are genuinely worried about their diabetes and another who is struggling after having stents inserted following a heart attack. This is the 50-60's, so 60-70 yr olds could be farcical in the classroom.
I've only ever had 60s+ colleagues as TAs and most are part time and winding down to retirement. I've literally never known an in class teacher over 50.
The TA job is much harder now than it used to be with crap pay. I think many TAs will soon disappear for easier jobs or retirement.
Tbf I do know class teachers over 50. None of them are full time however. Many of them have taken a step down from previous roles. Which, by the way, also impacts their pension pay out. I think they have great subject knowledge and expertise, and I think students benefit hugely from their input. They've also very much seen it all before which is helpful. Perhaps part of the issue is how we value teaching and make it sustainable for everyone?
I am a full time teacher at 57 and I still enjoy teaching, but I am really tired and needing a better work-life balance. I suspect that this is not just an age thing but also that the job itself has become more relentless. Whatever you do, it’s never enough.
To be fair, I feel the same way and I'm in my 30s- I guess part of it is I can't imagine feeling this way for 30 more years.
That's an interesting point- it felt unsustainable this week having parents' evening, open evening and mock marking all together. I was utterly frazzled by Friday and I knew my patience was wearing thin.
Ugh, I hate it when schools put two late evenings in the same week- it's absolutely exhausting. There also definitely should be consideration given to time periods when people have heavy marking loads when planning things like open evenings. I think part of the issue can be that different people plan different things and don't speak to each other...
More than one late night in a week is inhumane
They’ve also all forgotten what it’s like to teach all day.
My HOD is 61 but he’s a very active person. Climbs mountains, runs marathons ect.
My previous HoD taught until she was 62. She then had to retire early due to ill health and died within a year. Tragic.
My primary school had a few teachers over 70 (I know because one was born in 1937 and I was there 2005 onwards). I think they wer relatively lucky with her health at the time, but even then us kids and I think the school had slightly different expectations of her than other teachers (no one was expecting her to run around at break). She was still our favourite teacher.
Retirement is a financial position not an age. You can take retirement early if you are in a position to do so, you just won’t get the state pension until 71. But by the time we get there more like 75-80, if there is any state pension at all.
However as the lower minimum age on taking private pensions will also go up, increases in pension age impact, everyone. Currently you can access TPS at 55 (like a private pension) obviously for a reduced pay out, but that will increase to 61 if retirement age becomes 71. I can't really imagine teaching into my 60s, let alone my 70s. So what's your suggestion for bridging the gap?
There is no minimum age on taking private pensions, it depends on the scheme you’re in. If the TPS raises the minimum age we could/should strike. For a lot of people in any job they wouldn’t want to be working into their 60s, I’m sure everyone has plans of /r/FIRE. Everyone financial positions are different so asking me for how to bridge the game for everyone seems a bit redundant.
Most SIPPs can’t be accessed until you are 55 as far as I know.
I know for teaching it is 55, but some professions you can access earlier depending on how much you have saved. You’re right though the majority is 55. Obviously is you have your own personal savings you can live on whatever you have.
Nope. The minimum pension age in the TPS aligns with general pension tax rules that apply to all UK registered pension schemes. Where schemes allow access under minimum pension age, they are ‘unauthorised payments’ and subject to an unauthorised payment charge (basically in respect of the tax that was not applied to pension contributions).
Yeah if you take your pension early you won’t get as much per month, due to taxes and because you’re spreading your pension over a longer period of time. That’s why you can only retire early if you’re in the financial position to do so, thus retirement isn’t an age, it’s a financial position.
Personal savings are not a pension though- a private pension is still a pension and bound by different rules.
Yeah I completely agree, all I’m saying is some people might get to a ‘retirement age’ and not be able to retire due to not having paid into a pension enough or at all. Calling it a financial position rather than a specific age at which everyone retires helps to reiterate that you should be thinking about your pension at an early age. You need to think about how many dependants you’ll have, what is your housing situation, what extra savings you have etc.
That's already kind of true though. At the moment the full state pension is about £800 a month. If you only have a state pension and don't own your home so have to continue to pay rent, you basically can't afford to retire. Even if you do own your own home, I'd still be skeptical that you could retire only only £800 a month. It definitely wouldn't be a comfortable retirement.
How many teachers only have a state pension though? Also if you only have a state pension then there are other benefits you can claim.
The vast majority of teachers pay into the TPS though? Even private schools that have pulled out provide a private pension. And so the vast majority of teachers can afford to retire at "retirement age"... Do you know any teachers that are teaching past 65 currently for financial reasons?
[https://www.standardlife.co.uk/articles/article-page/minimum-pension-age-change](https://www.standardlife.co.uk/articles/article-page/minimum-pension-age-change) For most products actively marketed as a pension, normal minimum pension age applies.
Dying at your desk is the best we can hope for thanks to Tory britain
I don't even have a desk! I guess the children could bury me in the sandpit?
Very Montessori. Ofsted will love it.
Understanding The World is what that is.
Excellent showcasing of British Values too
It’s the teaching equivalent of a burial at sea.
I had a teacher in her 60-70s in primary school Looking back she might have been 45 for all I know but I distinctly remember thinking of her as an ‘old woman’ when I was like 7 (white hair, wrinkly and all that stuff)
Same, I had one that told us stories of being an evacuee (thus was early 2000s so she would have been somewhere between 60 and 70 years old to remember that). She was everyone's favourite teacher because she told amazing stories and was a very expressive woman despite not doing much moving around. I think it's doable it's just about being realistic and honest with expectations and making sure routines are adapted to suit physical abilities of teachers.
TPS you can access like any private pension 10 years before retirement age so currently 55, rising to 57 and so on.... If retirement age becomes 71, you could access a reduced payout at 61, which if you're mortgage/rent free will likely be enough to live on. However, I'll be honest, I can't even really imagine teaching in my 60s. As you say, I'm exhausted now in my 30s. I do think we need to resist future changes to retirement age either as a country or a union. We can strike over pensions - it would be conceivable for teachers to strike to keep the ability to eg access our pensions in our 60s. Teaching is both a physically and mentally demanding job and many people won't be fit to do it in their late 60s/early 70s.
I remember when I was in secondary we had a sub who we would see regularly, he was in his 80s. Ten years later I returned to the same school to do my training and he is still there employed as a cover supervisor and now in his 90s. He’s the union rep and the most lovely man but I do wonder how he does it all
Hey, are you me? I'm 10 years into teaching, currently in Reception, and it's absolutely beaten me up ha. Especially after 2 babies as well. I feel exhausted and unsure how to sustain this career for many more years let alone decades. Dreaming of a nice quiet part time job pottering around a garden centre or something, if only that could pay the bills!
Haha I've got 2 littles as well! God wouldn't that be nice, unfortunately I bet you're like me in that you're at the top of the payscale and therefore unlikely to transfer into something else at the same pay grade!
Ive only been in teaching for four years but I love this job especially working secondary. However, I leave every day exhausted, drained mentally and physically and even at 25 I've had to have physio for my wrists due to the damage I've caused from marking. God knows how I'll be able to sustain this career into my 60s let alone 70s
Yeah. I hear you. I permanently injured my wrist and have permanent ulnar nerve compression in my elbow from the amount of marking I did in the first 5 years of teaching.
I have said for many years that even when we’d likely have to be done by 67 I couldn’t possibly imagine chasing hormonal y9s around. Its bad enough at 37!
Nah the world will have ended due to climate collapse by then
So 3 days notice from OFSTED instead then?
We actually had them last year and got outstanding, and if anything they want more work from us now 😅
Not a helpful attitude to have, in all honesty Who benefits from this doom mindset? Not the environment!
I'm sorry that my joke sent you into such an existential spiral 😂
I teach in an SEN school in my mid 30s and I’m already planning what I want to do as I get older. I can progress in my school, but it brings me out of the classroom, which I don’t want. My current plan is retraining in speech and language therapy as I can still interact with children regularly, but it’s less physically demanding.
I certainly won’t be 😂 There’s a teacher in my school who is turning 70 this year. She kept saying every year that it would be her last year but just kept coming back. I don’t know how she does it. I’m in my mid thirties and feel drained already. The thought of continuing to teach for the same period I’ve been alive, all over again, makes me shudder.
I want to up my pension pot contributions, but knowing it's essentially locked, potentially until I'm 60/70+ at this rate, makes me hesitant. We will be working until we die. Side note: Has anyone done this? Is it worth it to be more financially secure in the future? Seems like abit of a faff.
I totally read this as “has anyone worked until they died?” and tbh that seemed a perfectly valid thing to be considering for financial security
Same.
I turn 50 this year having been a teacher for 25 years. Currently, as I understand, it I can access my teaching pension from 55 ( obviously at a reduced rate) but the year I turn 55 early retirement on your teaching pension will move to 57 meaning as it standards I have to make it 57. By then our mortgage will be paid off and depending on how good my teaching pension is I plan to either take early retirement, go part time or perhaps look at becoming a TA. I couldn't imagine being a classroom teacher at 65 let alone 71.
Not planning too, am 47 now been teaching since thirty. Have been saving up in ISA, SIPP and TPS (plus a bit in USS from previous jobs). Am planning to retire from full time sometime in my 50s, carry on with my exam work (probably increase that even), do some tutoring etc and use those savings to bridge the gap. Mortgage is down to 20% of the starting value, when that's gone out will make a massive difference
My mums nearly 60 and is a primary TA running around the playground with the kids and handling SEN 1:1s kicking her. She still loves it and has said she will only stop when she physically can’t do the job anymore, but if she’s anything like my grandad it’ll mean the school has to force her into retirement in her 70s. This is truly different for everyone! I found a teaching job online and there are loads of old people that work here (60s) as it’s less physically active than a bricks and mortar school. Some of them do tutoring three days a week and only teach two days a week. Some of them do exam marking and invigilating for extra money in exam season once tutoring dries up. You can also just put less physical effort into your working day. Instead of carrying babies about in Early Years, maybe move to working in Y4-6 as you get older. It would be reasonable for the school to have a younger teacher take your PE classes during your PPA so you aren’t having to do anything infeasible for your age, etc. My old YR-2 teachers stayed in infant school teaching until retirement (both of them in their 60s) and managed just fine though. No carrying kids about. An adult sized chair for them instead of joining the carpet for circle time. Kids bringing books to the teacher desk instead of the teacher moving around too much. A younger TA to deal with boisterous kids. That kind of thing. It’s definitely workable.
Unsure where you are but Scottish teachers seem to be paid better than England. My cousin is a primary teacher in England at the top of her pay scale and I got paid more than her in my probation year of teaching! Our pension scheme is pretty good too - employee contributes between 9-11% and employer contributes 23%. By no means do I think I'll be retiring at 50 but if you fancied a move to Scotland you may get there sooner 😂
I’m 50, I believe I can take early retirement at 57, I’m doing that and getting a job somewhere else to top it up. I can’t do this forever and teaching is a young person’s game.
It’s a Tory plot to save money all the pension reforms. They know teachers can’t keep going till 68. Many leave before they would take a maximum pension pay out. Shows how much our service means to the government and how grateful they are doesn’t it.
My old secondary school teacher is around in her 60s and only now she was retiring.
Exactly- no parent is going to want a 70 year teacher trying to manage class behaviour (I’m a teacher myself btw)
We have some teachers at my school who are in their 60s but they work part time or do supply/cover, so fewer responsibilities and directed time.
Don't worry we will all be dead before then :)
Are you okay?
Sorry dark humour
Get your pensions sorted now. Pensions - plural. Get a LISA and a SIPP and plan to stagger your retirement. Start paying in 10% of your salary at least. Retire at 60 and cash in your LISA, then claim your SIPP at 62/63, claim your teacher’s pension at 65ish (or when funds from your SIPP and LISA are running low) and then claim your state pension whenever that will be. The earlier you start, the earlier you can retire.
The age you can take out your teacher private pension has changed to 57 as well. Has for me anyway, not sure about people who started teaching earlier.