This page is about schools in England. It does not cover Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
The School teachers’ pay and conditions document 2026 and its guidance (STPCD) is dated 14 October 2026 and valid from 1 September 2026. The figures below are annual amounts for 2026/27, checked on 17 October 2026. They apply to local-authority-maintained schools. Academies follow their own contracts: check whether the contract adopts the STPCD and which provisions it includes.
Use the directed time calculator to calculate the allowance from a contractual FTE or contracted timetable days and hours, and subtract hours already planned.
The 2026 teaching pay rise
From 1 September 2026, all pay and allowance ranges and advisory points increase by 3.5%, except the minimum of the unqualified teacher range for the rest of England, which increases by 5%. These increases are already included in the figures below; do not add them again. Source: Section 2, Part 1, ‘September 2026 and 2027 pay awards’, page 9.
The leadership pay range
The statutory leadership pay range covers headteachers, deputy headteachers and assistant headteachers. For 1 September 2026, the annual minimum and maximum are:
- England excluding the London area: £53,586–£148,829.
- Inner London: £63,709–£158,863.
- Outer London: £57,837–£153,042.
- Fringe area: £55,060–£150,301.
Source: paragraph 4.4, Table 1, page 12. Annex 3 gives the advisory leadership pay points often called the leadership scale; the statutory range and the range set for the post determine the applicable limits.
Headteacher groups and the individual school range
The relevant body assigns the school to a headteacher group under paragraph 5.1. Ordinary schools use the unit totals in paragraph 6; special schools use paragraph 7; paragraph 8 covers particular cases. The group is not an individual salary award.
Headteacher group annual pay ranges from 1 September 2026, in the order England excluding London; Inner London; Outer London; Fringe:
- Group 1: £60,619–£80,652; £70,754–£90,686; £64,871–£84,865; £62,102–£82,118.
- Group 2: £63,688–£86,796; £73,824–£96,831; £67,940–£91,010; £65,166–£88,273.
- Group 3: £68,691–£93,414; £78,820–£103,450; £72,940–£97,624; £70,169–£94,885.
- Group 4: £73,827–£100,536; £83,960–£110,562; £78,074–£104,742; £75,310–£101,999.
- Group 5: £81,457–£110,881; £91,594–£120,916; £85,715–£115,095; £82,939–£112,353.
- Group 6: £87,664–£122,305; £97,799–£132,339; £91,921–£126,515; £89,153–£123,776.
- Group 7: £94,349–£134,834; £104,485–£144,864; £98,602–£139,041; £95,836–£136,298.
- Group 8: £104,059–£148,829; £114,189–£158,863; £108,311–£153,042; £105,536–£150,301.
Source: paragraph 5.3, Table 2, page 13.
The relevant body then sets the individual pay range for the post, taking account of its permanent responsibilities, role-specific challenges and other relevant considerations, with room for progression (9.1–9.2). This is the school's decision, not a salary calculated from a job title. The range should not normally exceed the group maximum. A range and additional payments more than 25% above that maximum require exceptional circumstances, external independent advice and a business case (9.3; temporary payments are also subject to 10.2–10.4).
How deputy and assistant head pay is set
There is no single deputy head salary or assistant head salary. The relevant body sets the post's leadership pay range under 9.1–9.2. Its maximum must not exceed the maximum of the school's headteacher group. It should overlap the headteacher's range only in exceptional circumstances (9.4). Pay progression is considered annually under paragraph 11. The arrangements in Part 2 apply as set out in 4.1–4.2, including the provisions for appointments and significantly changed responsibilities from 1 September 2014.
TLR1, TLR2 and TLR3 payments
Teaching and learning responsibility payments (TLRs) reward qualifying additional classroom-teacher responsibilities. From 1 September 2026, the annual ranges are:
- TLR1: £10,531–£17,819 (20.2(a)).
- TLR2: £3,651–£8,913 (20.2(b)).
- TLR3: £727–£3,600 (20.3).
Paragraphs 20.1 and 20.4–20.5 set the eligibility and responsibility tests; unqualified teachers cannot receive TLRs. A TLR3 is for a clearly time-limited school improvement project or a one-off externally driven responsibility. A teacher cannot hold TLR1 and TLR2 together, but either can be held with TLR3 (20.3).
From 1 September 2026, TLR1 and TLR2 payments must reflect the proportion of the responsibility undertaken, rather than automatically following a part-time teacher's contracted FTE (20.6; Section 3, paragraph 52). The part-time pro rata principle does not apply to TLR3 (20.7). For a TLR3 lasting less than a year, the payment reflects its duration (Section 3, paragraph 56).
SEN allowance
The annual SEN allowance from 1 September 2026 is £2,885–£5,690 (21.1). It applies to classroom teachers meeting the criteria in 21.2, including qualifying SEN posts, special schools and the specified classes, units and analogous settings. Teaching a pupil with SEN does not by itself establish entitlement. The relevant body sets the allowance's value using the factors in 21.3 and records its arrangements in the pay policy (21.4).
PPA: planning, preparation and assessment
Teachers who teach pupils are entitled to PPA of at least 10% of their timetabled teaching time, in units of at least half an hour, during the school's timetabled teaching week. No other duties can be required during PPA. Where reasonably appropriate and agreed by the teacher and headteacher, it can be taken as one weekly unit and away from the school site.
Source: ‘Guaranteed planning and preparation time’, printed as 53.4 on page 51. The preceding work/life balance paragraph is also printed as 53.4, on page 50; use the heading and page to locate the PPA provision. Leadership and management time is a separate entitlement under 53.5; headteachers' dedicated headship time is in 48.2.
Directed time: 1,265 hours over 195 days
A full-time teacher covered by these provisions must be available for 195 days: 190 for teaching and other duties, and 5 days or their equivalent for other duties (52.2). The 1,265 hours specified by the headteacher must be allocated reasonably across the required days (52.5). Part-time teachers have the corresponding proportion of those hours (52.6; Section 3, paragraphs 85–90).
The exclusions in 52.4 include headteachers, deputies, assistant headteachers, leading practitioners and teachers receiving an acting allowance for those leadership duties. The calculator below is for teachers covered by the directed-time provisions; it does not set a leader's working-hours limit.
Count required duties at the times and places specified by the headteacher under 52.5, including required teaching and non-teaching duties. The daily break in 53.3 and travel to or from work do not count (52.12). Reasonable additional hours for professional duties, including planning and assessment, sit outside directed time; the employer cannot prescribe their number or when they are worked (52.7–52.8).
The school must establish the timetable and what duties it directs. The STPCD does not supply a standard school-day length or a separate numeric allowance for ‘trapped time’. This calculator does not decide whether a particular gap between duties is directed. Check the actual requirement to be available under 52.5. Read the directed time and trapped time article for the separate discussion of union calculators.
What to check this term
- Check the school's pay policy and individual pay decisions against the 2026 ranges, the correct geographical area and the post's responsibilities.
- Confirm the headteacher group and the individual leadership ranges, with recorded reasons for exceptional payments (5 and 9–10).
- Check TLR1 and TLR2 payments against the responsibility actually undertaken, including where a part-time teacher carries the whole responsibility (20.6).
- Protect PPA at the minimum proportion and unit length, and keep it separate from leadership and management time (‘Guaranteed planning and preparation time’, page 51; 53.5).
- Check each directed-time calendar against the full-time or pro rata allowance, and give part-time teachers an agreed written statement of working-time expectations (52.5–52.6; Section 3, paragraph 90).
Common pitfalls
- Adding the pay award to a range that already includes it.
- Treating a leadership pay point or headteacher group as an automatic individual salary.
- Reducing a TLR1 or TLR2 solely because the teacher is part-time, without checking the proportion of responsibility.
- Counting the daily break or the commute towards directed time, or treating 1,265 hours as a limit on all professional work.
- Applying the classroom-teacher directed-time limit to headteachers, deputies or assistant heads.
- Treating an academy contract as identical to maintained-school terms without checking it.
Interview guides, roles and planners
Prepare with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher interview guides. Read the corresponding headteacher, deputy and assistant headteacher role pages for the wider role.
Organise the year with the headteacher, deputy headteacher or assistant headteacher planner. The workload guide covers PPA, cover and administrative tasks alongside Ofsted's workload expectations.
