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UK salary report · 2026

Headteacher Salary in London

Official ONS earnings for London.

ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings Where this comes from →

Median salary — London

£71,111

gross, per year

▼ 0.3% change on the previous year

Mean

£77,967

What most headteachers actually earn

Half of headteachers in London earn between £35,958 and £65,418. Earning above £65,418 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.

ONS suppresses the detailed spread for this occupation at regional level, so this range describes the wider “Other Educational Professionals” group in London.

The full pay range

Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of headteachers earn less than this.

20th
£31,873
25th
£35,958
30th
£38,348
40th
£44,027
50th
£46,414
60th
£49,926
70th
£57,342
75th
£65,418
Check where your salary sits

How London ranks for headteacher pay

5th

of 10 GB regions with a published figure

Yorkshire and The Humber tops the table on £82,282 and East Midlands sits at the bottom on £60,776. London is £11,171 short of the top.

Ranking compares published regional medians for the same occupation. It says nothing about cost of living — a higher median doesn't survive contact with rent. The cost of living calculator is the honest next step.

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 London?

The median is £71,111 a year and the mean is £77,967, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.

What is a good Headteacher salary?

Half of headteachers earn between £35,958 and £65,418. Anything above £65,418 is in the top quarter for the role.

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.

Official figures show the market. Your salary shows what employers actually pay.

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