🎓 Eligibility for Teachers
✅ What you’ll need to apply
To apply for a Blue Light Card under the Teachers category, upload a document that matches the name on your Blue Light Card account.
We only need to see documentation that proves your current employment to check that you are eligible. When you upload your documentation, we recommend that you redact all information other than your name, employer and date.
📎 Proof you can provide (choose one):
🪪 Work ID card showing:
Your full name
The name of an eligible school
📄 Payslip dated within the last 3 months showing:
Your full name
Your school’s name
📧 School email address
A verified school email may be accepted.
💡 If we can’t verify it, we’ll ask for your ID card or a recent payslip instead.
🏫 What counts as an eligible school?
We accept teachers and staff from schools across the UK, including:
Special Schools, Referral Units, and Centrally Employed staff
Secondary Schools – England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
Sixth Forms and Colleges
Early Years & Primary Schools – England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
⚠️ Common reasons applications are declined
🚫 The name on your ID doesn’t match your Blue Light Card account
🕒 Your payslip is older than 3 months
❌ We couldn’t confirm a link to an eligible school
👩🏫 Retired Teachers? You can still apply!
If you’re retired and part of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, here’s what to upload:
🏆 Easiest option:
📄 One of the following:
A Teachers' Pension P60
A Teachers’ Pension Statement
An STPS pension document (for Scotland)
🔄 Alternative option:
If you don’t have one of the above, upload:
📄 A pension document from any provider
➕
📁 Proof of 4+ years of relevant employment
Your proof could include:
1️⃣ Two documents dated at least 4 years apart (e.g. P60s or payslips)
2️⃣ A leaver or employment letter with start and end dates
3️⃣ A professional registration record showing your work history or cease date
We only need to see documentation that proves your retired status/former employment to check that you are eligible. When you upload your documentation, we recommend that you redact all information other than your name, pension provider, and if you need to provide supporting evidence of former employment you redact all information other than your name, employer and date.
💡 Not sure if what you have is quite right? That’s okay. These are just examples we’re happy to look at anything that helps show how long you’ve been in service 🙂