Nursery Assistant Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 86,000 jobs.
Median salary
£20,329
gross, per year, all employees
Part-time work is common in this occupation, so the figure above sits 25.7% below the £25,558 median for people working full-time.
▲ 6.4% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£25,558
Part-time only
£13,954
Mean
£20,026
Jobs measured
86,000
What a typical nursery assistant takes home
On the full-time median of £25,558, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£1,827
Take-home a year
£21,921
Income Tax
£2,598
National Insurance
£1,039
What most nursery assistants actually earn
Half of nursery assistants earn between £13,909 and £26,083. Earning above £26,083 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 nursery assistants earn less than this.
Nursery Assistant salary by region
8 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| London | £23,651 | £22,001 |
| North West | £21,397 | £21,689 |
| Scotland | £20,923 | £21,185 |
| West Midlands | £20,838 | £18,737 |
| East Midlands | £19,745 | £19,403 |
| South West | £19,100 | £18,895 |
| East | £18,993 | £18,892 |
| Wales | £16,870 | £18,728 |
Nursery Assistant jobs hiring now in the UK
Live adverts. Salaries are shown only where the employer states one.
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Nursery Assistant, Supply£29,640–£35,006
Worldwide Education & Care · Worcester, Worcestershire
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Nursery Assistant/Practitioner£29,640–£35,006
Worldwide Education & Care · Gloucester, Gloucestershire
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Nursery Assistant/Practitioner£29,640–£35,006
Worldwide Education & Care · Stonehouse, Gloucestershire
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Nursery Assistant/Practitioner£29,640–£35,006
Worldwide Education & Care · Gloucester, Gloucestershire
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Qualified Nursery Assistant£29,619–£33,592
Academics · Cheltenham Trade Park, Cheltenham
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Early education and childcare assistants
- SOC 2020 code
- 6111
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2026 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.
Nursery Assistant salary FAQs
What is the average Nursery Assistant salary in the UK?
The median is £20,329 a year and the mean is £20,026, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £25,558 and part-time employees £13,954.
How much does a nursery assistant earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £14.23 excluding overtime. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only.
What is a good Nursery Assistant salary?
Half of nursery assistants earn between £13,909 and £26,083. Anything above £26,083 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a nursery assistant?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of nursery assistants earn under £8,190 and the lowest quarter under £13,909 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
How much do the highest-paid nursery assistants earn?
The top 10% of nursery assistants earn more than £30,067 a year, and the top quarter more than £26,083. ASHE does not publish figures above the 90th percentile.
Has nursery assistant pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +6.4% for this occupation in the UK. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many nursery assistants are there in the UK?
ASHE counts around 86,000 employee jobs in “Early education and childcare assistants” (SOC 6111) 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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