Headteacher Salary in South East
Official ONS earnings for South East, covering 10,000 jobs.
Median salary — South East
£67,377
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 3.3% change on the previous year
Mean
£68,865
Jobs measured
10,000
What a typical headteacher takes home
On the median of £67,377, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£4,136
Take-home a year
£49,636
Income Tax
£14,383
National Insurance
£3,358
What most headteachers actually earn
Half of headteachers in South East earn between £33,078 and £65,935. Earning above £65,935 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 South East.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of headteachers earn less than this.
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
ONS publishes a sampling error of 11.5% for this figure and asks that anything above 10% is treated as imprecise — too few people in this region answered the survey for this occupation. The figure is shown because it is the one ONS published, but it is not firm enough to rank South East against anywhere else, so this page doesn't.
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 South East?
The median is £67,377 a year and the mean is £68,865, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; ASHE publishes no full-time split at regional level.
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, so there is no separate rate for South East.
What is a good Headteacher salary?
Half of headteachers earn between £33,078 and £65,935. Anything above £65,935 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 £24,164 and the lowest quarter under £33,078 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Do headteachers in South East earn more than the UK average?
The median in South East is £67,377 against £70,977 across the UK, 5.1% lower. ONS marks the South East figure as imprecise, so treat the gap as indicative.
Has headteacher pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +3.3% for this occupation in South East. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many headteachers are there in South East?
ASHE counts around 10,000 employee jobs in “Head teachers and principals” (SOC 2321) in South East. 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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