Teacher pay scales in England 2026/27

From 1 September 2026, teachers in England outside London start on £34,069 at M1 of the main pay range and can reach £52,835 at the top of the upper pay range. The government accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of 3.5% on all pay and allowance ranges, with 5% on the minimum of the unqualified range. A further 3% from 1 September 2027 was accepted at the same time.

The 2026/27 pay ranges outside London

These are the STRB’s recommended pay levels from 1 September 2026, which the government accepted on 1 July 2026. They apply to the rest of England, and London and the fringe have their own higher ranges.

Range or point	Annual pay from 1 September 2026
Unqualified teacher range	£23,732 to £36,494
M1	£34,069
M2	£36,042
M3	£38,400
M4	£40,941
M5	£43,529
M6	£46,940
U1	£49,134
U2	£50,956
U3	£52,835
Leading practitioner range	£53,847 to £81,861
Leadership group range	£53,586 to £148,829

For Inner London, Outer London and the fringe, see teacher pay in London and the fringe. Leadership pay is covered in the leadership pay range guide.

When schools can pay the new rates

The award is confirmed, but the legal document that puts it into effect, the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) 2026, is still a draft. Consultation on it closed on 23 September 2026. The Local Government Association expects it to be published around early November 2026, with the new rates backdated to 1 September 2026.

Maintained schools cannot legally apply the new rates until the document is in force. In practice many teachers in maintained schools are still on the 2025/26 rates in autumn 2026 and will receive arrears once the STPCD is published. Academies are not bound by the STPCD in the same way, and some pay the new rates earlier. The teacher pay award guide tracks the timetable.

The main pay range

Qualified teachers start on the main pay range. Early career teachers usually start at M1, and the statutory minimum is £34,069. The M1 to M6 points are advisory: the law sets the minimum and maximum of each range, and each school’s pay policy says how it uses the points in between. Many schools still use the six points and link each move up to a successful appraisal, but how and when you progress is a local decision set out in the pay policy.

An ECT must hold QTS before starting statutory induction. Induction lasts the equivalent of two full-time school years, usually six terms. The ECT induction guide explains how it fits with pay.

The upper pay range

Teachers can apply to move onto the upper pay range, U1 to U3, which runs from £49,134 to £52,835 outside London. Schools set the criteria in their pay policy, usually based on sustained high-quality teaching and a contribution beyond your own classroom. Criteria and evidence requirements differ between schools, so ask for the pay policy before you apply.

Leading practitioner posts sit on a separate range from £53,847 to £81,861 and are for teachers whose main role is to model and lead improvement in teaching. Each school sets the pay range for its own leading practitioner posts within those limits.

Allowances on top of pay

The 3.5% award applies to allowances as well as pay. From September 2026:

• TLR3: £727 to £3,600
• TLR2: £3,651 to £8,913
• TLR1: £10,531 to £17,819
• SEN allowance: £2,885 to £5,690

TLRs are for posts with significant extra responsibility, such as head of department. The TLR payments guide and SEN allowance guide explain who qualifies.

Next year and the rest of the UK

The government has also accepted a further 3% rise from 1 September 2027. The figures for that year will be set out in a later STPCD, so the 2027 pay points are not yet published.

The scales above apply to England only. Wales has its own pay document, and its minister said on 13 July 2026 that the government would consult on 3.5% (and 5% for unqualified teachers), so the Welsh award is not yet confirmed. Scotland has a separate two-year deal, with 3.25% from 1 August 2026 and a main grade of £43,383 to £54,453. Northern Ireland’s latest confirmed award is for 2025/26, and no 2026/27 offer had been found by mid-October 2026.

Pension, tax and hours

All teachers in state schools in England and Wales are enrolled in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme unless they opt out. The member rate depends on your actual salary: 7.4% up to £36,198.99, 8.9% from £36,199, and 9.9% from £48,728. A teacher on M1 pays 7.4%, M3 pays 8.9% and U2 pays 9.9%. The Teachers’ Pension Scheme guide has the full tiers.

Income tax and National Insurance apply above £12,570. With a Plan 2 student loan, 9% of pay over £29,385 is repaid, so even M1 means a monthly repayment. The take-home pay for a newly qualified teacher page works through the numbers, and the take-home pay calculator does it for any point.

A full-time classroom teacher’s directed time is 1,265 hours over 195 days (190 teaching days plus 5 other days). Teaching vacancies across England are listed on the teaching jobs board.