Guidance

Prepare your school for Brexit

Updated 1 November 2019

This guidance was withdrawn on

This page is out of date.

Schools should continue to follow the current guidance for running a school.

For current information, read:

You can also read about the transition period.

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2019

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-exit-no-deal-preparations-for-schools-in-england/eu-exit-no-deal-preparations-for-schools-in-england

School places

You cannot ask for or use nationality or immigration status when deciding which pupils to admit.

You should continue to offer school places to citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland who are in the UK after Brexit.

UK citizens living abroad returning to the UK and Irish citizens are still entitled to apply for school places.

Help staff, parents and carers with the EU Settlement Scheme

Let staff who are citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland know that they’ll need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after 2020. Deal or no deal, they will have until at least 31 December 2020 to apply.

You may wish to refer any staff, parents or carers making an application to the support and resources available.

Anyone who’s applied to the EU Settlement Scheme can view and prove their settled or pre-settled status online, although they will not be required to do so until at least January 2021.

Irish citizens’ right to live in the UK will not change after Brexit. This means they do not need to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme, but they can if they want to.

Temporary leave to remain

If there’s a no-deal Brexit, let staff know that they can apply for European temporary leave to remain if they:

  • are from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, and

  • arrive in the UK after a no-deal Brexit and before 1 January 2021

They’ll need to apply by 31 December 2020.

Employing staff from the EU

You must continue to check job applicants’ right to work. This will not change after Brexit.

You can also check whether someone has settled or pre-settled status but you are not required to do this until 1 January 2021.

Checking for sanctions or restrictions on teachers from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway

If there’s a deal, schools should continue to use the existing system to check for sanctions on teachers imposed by the EEA (EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). This procedure will not change until 31 December 2020.

If there’s a no-deal Brexit, professional regulators in the EEA (EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) will no longer share with the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) information about sanctions imposed on teachers.

Schools must continue to carry out the same safer recruitment checks on all applicants, including those who have lived or worked outside of the UK.

For applicants that have lived or worked outside of the UK, schools must also make any further checks they think appropriate so they can consider any relevant events that occurred outside the UK.

For applicants to teaching positions, additional checks may include information about their past conduct, for example, documents issued by the relevant teaching regulator abroad.

If there’s a no-deal Brexit, we’ll update Keeping children safe in education.

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) after Brexit

Teachers currently in England from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland who already have QTS, will still hold QTS after Brexit.

If the UK leaves the EU with a deal

If the UK leaves with a deal there will be no change to arrangements for teachers from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland that apply for QTS during the implementation period.

If there’s a no-deal Brexit

Teachers who already hold QTS before Brexit will not be affected.

Teachers who’ve applied for QTS before Brexit can continue with their application under the previous system.

Teachers can still apply for QTS after Brexit but will need a letter of professional standing from the EU country, or Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland where they are recognised.

Read qualified teacher status (QTS) for further information.

Contact your food supplier before Brexit

Ask your direct supplier, local authority or academy trust whether:

  • they’ll need to change meals or ingredients

  • their secondary suppliers are prepared

The school food standards allow you to make changes to school meals but you’ll still need to:

  • meet nutritional standards
  • meet pupils’ special dietary needs
  • manage allergens
  • provide meals to registered pupils who request one
  • provide free meals to pupils who qualify

Avoiding allergens if you change meals or ingredients

Check that you are:

Medicines and medical products

Continue supporting your pupils’ health needs as normal and let staff and parents know that there’s NHS guidance on getting medicines in a no-deal Brexit.

Planning trips to the EU

You’ll need to check:

You can still use collective passports.

Review how you collect, use and share personal data

Check and update your data protection procedures so you can still receive and share personal data after Brexit.

Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps (ESC)

Continue delivering any Erasmus+ or ESC projects that are already contracted.

You might not get EU funding if there’s a no-deal Brexit. Register for the government guarantee if you’ve already had an Erasmus+ bid accepted.

Erasmus + placements will continue to 2020 if there’s a deal.

Back to top