Department for Education · STPCD 2026 · from 1 September 2026
Teacher pay scales 2026/27
What a classroom teacher in England is paid at each point of the scale, in each of the four pay areas, with take-home pay. A new teacher starts on M1 at £34,069 outside London; the top of the upper pay range in inner London is £64,684.
M1, new teacher
£34,069
Rest of England, from 1 September 2026
M6, top of main range
£46,940
Rest of England
U3, top of upper range
£52,835
Rest of England
Main and upper pay range points, 2026/27
Gross annual salary at each advisory pay point (STPCD 2026, Annex 3). M1 to M6 is the main pay range; U1 to U3 is the upper pay range for teachers who have passed the threshold.
| Point | Rest of England | London fringe | Outer London | Inner London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | £34,069 | £35,602 | £39,196 | £41,729 |
| M2 | £36,042 | £37,647 | £41,246 | £43,713 |
| M3 | £38,400 | £39,979 | £43,403 | £45,787 |
| M4 | £40,941 | £42,513 | £45,673 | £47,961 |
| M5 | £43,529 | £45,070 | £48,438 | £50,666 |
| M6 | £46,940 | £48,479 | £52,241 | £54,131 |
| U1 | £49,134 | £50,625 | £54,047 | £59,650 |
| U2 | £50,956 | £52,442 | £56,047 | £62,581 |
| U3 | £52,835 | £54,328 | £58,120 | £64,684 |
Take-home pay on each point
Monthly pay after Income Tax and National Insurance in 2026/27 (England rates, no pension contribution, no student loan). Teachers' Pension Scheme contributions, which most teachers pay, reduce these figures further: use the take-home pay calculator with your own pension rate.
| Point | Rest of England | London fringe | Outer London | Inner London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | £2,337 /month | £2,429 /month | £2,645 /month | £2,797 /month |
| M2 | £2,456 /month | £2,552 /month | £2,768 /month | £2,916 /month |
| M3 | £2,597 /month | £2,692 /month | £2,897 /month | £3,041 /month |
| M4 | £2,750 /month | £2,844 /month | £3,034 /month | £3,171 /month |
| M5 | £2,905 /month | £2,998 /month | £3,200 /month | £3,329 /month |
| M6 | £3,110 /month | £3,202 /month | £3,405 /month | £3,496 /month |
| U1 | £3,241 /month | £3,327 /month | £3,492 /month | £3,763 /month |
| U2 | £3,343 /month | £3,414 /month | £3,589 /month | £3,905 /month |
| U3 | £3,433 /month | £3,506 /month | £3,689 /month | £4,006 /month |
Statutory pay ranges, 2026/27
The minimum and maximum a school must pay on each range (STPCD 2026, Part 2). The points above are advisory; these limits are binding on maintained schools.
| Range | Rest of England | London fringe | Outer London | Inner London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main pay range | £34,069 – £46,940 | £35,602 – £48,479 | £39,196 – £52,241 | £41,729 – £54,131 |
| Upper pay range | £49,134 – £52,835 | £50,625 – £54,328 | £54,047 – £58,120 | £59,650 – £64,684 |
| Leading practitioner | £53,847 – £81,861 | £55,332 – £83,347 | £58,120 – £86,136 | £64,024 – £92,043 |
| Unqualified teacher | £23,732 – £36,494 | £24,909 – £38,004 | £27,727 – £40,831 | £29,336 – £42,429 |
| Leadership group | £53,586 – £148,829 | £55,060 – £150,301 | £57,837 – £153,042 | £63,709 – £158,863 |
Unqualified teacher pay scale, 2026/27
For teachers without qualified teacher status (STPCD 2026, Annex 4). On gaining QTS a teacher moves to the main pay range at a salary no lower than their current one.
| Point | Rest of England | London fringe | Outer London | Inner London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U1 | £23,732 | £24,909 | £27,727 | £29,336 |
| U2 | £26,075 | £27,589 | £30,412 | £32,018 |
| U3 | £28,758 | £30,272 | £33,094 | £34,702 |
| U4 | £31,124 | £32,636 | £35,465 | £37,068 |
| U5 | £33,811 | £35,321 | £38,146 | £39,747 |
| U6 | £36,494 | £38,004 | £40,831 | £42,429 |
Which pay area is my school in?
- Inner London
- Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Camden, City of London, Ealing, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, Westminster.
- Outer London
- Barnet, Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Enfield, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston upon Thames, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, Waltham Forest.
- London fringe
- Berkshire: Bracknell Forest, Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead; Buckinghamshire: South Buckinghamshire and Chiltern; Essex: Basildon, Brentwood, Epping Forest, Harlow and Thurrock; Hertfordshire: Broxbourne, Dacorum, East Hertfordshire, Hertsmere, St Albans, Three Rivers, Watford and Welwyn Hatfield; Kent: Dartford and Sevenoaks; Surrey: the whole county; West Sussex: Crawley.
- Rest of England
- Everywhere else, including Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Bristol, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry, Southend-on-Sea, Derby, Stoke-on-Trent, Plymouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, Reading, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Hull, Bradford, Wolverhampton, Luton, Oxford, Cambridge, York.
What teachers are actually paid
The scale says what a point pays; ONS measures what teachers across the UK earn. Median gross annual pay, full-time (2026 provisional):
- Secondary education teaching professionals£49,492
- Primary education teaching professionals£47,207
- Further education teaching professionals£43,938
The full range by region, and take-home pay, is on the teacher salary page, with separate pages for primary, secondary and headteachers.
Already set: pay points from 1 September 2027
The 2026 Document is a two-year award, so the 2027/28 scale is known now (STPCD 2026, Annex 5).
| Point | Rest of England | London fringe | Outer London | Inner London | Rise (Rest of England) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | £35,092 | £36,671 | £40,372 | £42,981 | +3% |
| M2 | £37,124 | £38,777 | £42,484 | £45,025 | +3% |
| M3 | £39,552 | £41,179 | £44,706 | £47,161 | +3% |
| M4 | £42,170 | £43,789 | £47,044 | £49,400 | +3% |
| M5 | £44,835 | £46,423 | £49,892 | £52,186 | +3% |
| M6 | £48,349 | £49,934 | £53,809 | £55,755 | +3% |
| U1 | £50,609 | £52,144 | £55,669 | £61,440 | +3% |
| U2 | £52,485 | £54,016 | £57,729 | £64,459 | +3% |
| U3 | £54,421 | £55,958 | £59,864 | £66,625 | +3% |
Teacher pay scale FAQs
How much does a new teacher earn in England in 2026/27?
A newly qualified teacher (an early career teacher) normally starts on M1: £34,069 outside London, £35,602 in the London fringe, £39,196 in outer London and £41,729 in inner London, from 1 September 2026.
What is the top of the main pay scale?
M6 is £46,940 in the rest of England and £54,131 in inner London. Teachers who pass the threshold move to the upper pay range, U1 to U3, which tops out at £52,835 outside London and £64,684 in inner London.
How much do teachers earn in Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham or Leicester?
Every school outside the London area, including Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Bristol, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, uses the Rest of England scale: £34,069 at M1 to £52,835 at U3. Pay does not vary by city outside London.
Is Southend-on-Sea in the London fringe?
No. In Essex only Basildon, Brentwood, Epping Forest, Harlow and Thurrock are in the fringe area. Southend-on-Sea schools are on the Rest of England scale.
Do teachers move up the scale every year?
Not automatically. Since 2014 progression is linked to performance: the school decides each year whether a teacher moves to the next point, though most teachers on the main range do progress annually. Moving from M6 to the upper pay range needs a successful threshold application.
What will teachers be paid from September 2027?
The 2026 Document already sets the scale for 2027/28: M1 rises to £35,092 and U3 to £54,421 outside London (£66,625 in inner London), from 1 September 2027.
Do these scales apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
No. The STPCD covers maintained schools in England. Academies in England are not bound by it either, although most follow it. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own scales.
Source: School teachers' pay and conditions document 2026, Department for Education, published 16 October 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0. Take-home figures use this site's 2026/27 calculator. ONS medians: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2026 provisional.