🎓 Education

Who is eligible for/can renew a Blue Light Card?

Eligible

Inelible

If you work in any of the following settings, you're eligible - regardless of your specific role.

State and independent primary schools
State and independent secondary schools
Sixth form colleges
Vocational colleges and training schools
Special schools and referral units
Nurseries and early years settings
As a childminder (registered with Ofsted, Care Inspectorate Scotland, Care Inspectorate Wales, Tiney, or an NI Health and Social Care Trust)
Council-employed staff working within schools or education departments

The following settings are not currently eligible for Blue Light Card.

University and higher education staff
Volunteers in educational settings
Staff at dance, drama, music, or performing arts schools that do not teach the core curriculum (English, Maths, Science and Social Studies) - specialist arts schools and stage schools fall into this category
Online-only education providers
Staff at schools that have permanently closed

This list includes everyone employed in those settings - not just teachers. Support staff, administrators, teaching assistants, and other roles all qualify. Retired education workers can also apply, including those with a Teachers Pension Scheme or Scottish Teachers Pension Scheme document.

We hugely value the incredible work from all parts of the education sector; we keep all our eligibility under review and are open to expanding in future.

How we verify your eligibility

We verify applications against national school and childminder registers, so if your setting is a legitimate school, college or nursery, our team will be able to confirm your eligibility when you apply.

Currently employed in the education sector

Verification is quick and easy. You may be able to verify with just your work email address.

If not, you can upload one of the following ID documents that matches the name on your Blue Light Card account.

NOTE: Before uploading, remove all information other than your name, pension provider and dates.

Retired with a Teachers' Pension or STPS Pension

If you receive a Teachers' Pension or STPS Pension, you'll need to provide one of the following ID documents that matches the name on your Blue Light Card account.

NOTE: Before uploading, remove all information other than your name, pension provider and dates.

Retired with a different pension provider

If you use an alternative pension provider, you can verify using a combination of the following ID documents that match the name on your Blue Light Card account.