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🎓 Education

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

Eligible

Ineligible

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. 

teacher-id-card-AH.svg

Work/School ID card

Must show:

  • Your full name
  • The name of the registered school/nursery/childminder

OR

payslip-example-AH.svg

Payslip dated within the last 3 months

Must show:

  • Your full name
  • The name of the registered school/nursery/childminder

NOTE: Before uploading, remove all information other than your name, place of work and dates.

Retired - 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. 

pension-teachers-AH.svg

Teachers' pension or STPS pension statement or P60

Must show:

  • Your full name
  • Your pension provider name

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

Retired - Alternative pension provider

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

A pension document from any provider

pension-statement-AH.svg

 

➕

Two documents including your name and school/nursery/childminder, dated at least 4 years apart (e.g. P60s or payslips)

payslip-half-AH.svg

➕

p60-half-AH.svg

OR

A pension document from any provider

pension-statement-AH.svg

 

➕

A leaver or employment letter, including your name and school/nursery/childminder, with start and end dates

letter-full.svg

OR


A pension document from any provider

pension-statement-AH.svg

➕

A professional registration record, including your name and school/nursery/childminder, showing your work history or cease date

registration-record-AH.svg

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

Common reasons applications aren't verified

  • The name on your ID doesn’t match your Blue Light Card account

  • Your payslip is more than 3 months old

  • We couldn’t confirm a link with the national school or childminder register

  • The uploaded image was too blurry

If you need any additional support or guidance, you can contact our member operations team. We're here to help.