Headteacher Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 63,000 jobs.
Median salary
£70,977
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 2.4% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£72,192
Part-time only
£66,450
Mean
£71,776
Jobs measured
63,000
What a typical headteacher takes home
On the median of £70,977, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£4,310
Take-home a year
£51,724
Income Tax
£15,823
National Insurance
£3,430
What most headteachers actually earn
Half of headteachers earn between £56,666 and £83,340. Earning above £83,340 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of headteachers earn less than this.
Headteacher salary by region
10 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £82,282 | £83,939 |
| Wales | £76,119 | £78,448 |
| North West | £74,657 | £75,025 |
| North East | £71,526 | £72,099 |
| London | £71,111 | £77,967 |
| Scotland | £67,633 | £64,542 |
| South East | £67,377 | £68,865 |
| East | £66,126 | £73,759 |
| South West | £65,735 | £75,302 |
| East Midlands | £60,776 | £68,895 |
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Head teachers and principals
- SOC 2020 code
- 2321
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Headteacher salary FAQs
What is the average Headteacher salary in the UK?
The median is £70,977 a year and the mean is £71,776, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £72,192 and part-time employees £66,450.
How much does a headteacher earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £44.31 excluding overtime, or £43.00 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only.
What is a good Headteacher salary?
Half of headteachers earn between £56,666 and £83,340. Anything above £83,340 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a headteacher?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of headteachers earn under £41,346 and the lowest quarter under £56,666 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Has headteacher pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +2.4% for this occupation in the UK. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many headteachers are there in the UK?
ASHE counts around 63,000 employee jobs in “Head teachers and principals” (SOC 2321) in the UK. Self-employed work is not included.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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