How to become a headteacher

Almost every headteacher in England is a qualified teacher who has moved up through middle leadership, then assistant or deputy headship. The National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) is the usual qualification for the step, though it is not legally required in England. Heads are paid on the leadership pay range, which on the levels recommended from 1 September 2026 runs from £53,586 to £148,829 outside London, with the exact range for each post set by the size of the school.

The usual path to headship

There is no shortcut. A typical route looks like this, though the time spent at each stage varies a lot:

1. Qualify as a teacher and complete early career induction.
2. Take on middle leadership, such as a subject lead in primary or a head of department or head of year in secondary.
3. Move to assistant headteacher, with whole-school responsibility for an area like behaviour, curriculum or SEN.
4. Become a deputy headteacher, often deputising for the head and leading on staffing, timetabling or standards.
5. Apply for headship, sometimes first as head of school within a trust.

Primary heads often get there faster than secondary heads because primary leadership teams are smaller. In a small primary school the head may also teach part of the week.

The NPQH

The NPQH is a DfE-funded or part-funded national professional qualification for senior leaders who are, or want to be, headteachers. It covers school culture, curriculum and assessment, behaviour, staff development, finance, governance and working with the wider community. You study it part-time through an accredited provider and finish with an assessment.

England dropped the requirement for new heads to hold it, so a board can appoint someone without it. Many adverts still list it as desirable. Funding for NPQ places changes from year to year, so check the current terms before enrolling. Our page on NPQs covers the full set.

What governors and trustees look for

In a maintained school the governing board appoints the head. In an academy the trust does, sometimes with a local governing body involved. The DfE’s headteachers’ standards set out what boards expect: high standards for pupils, sound management of staff and money, and the ability to work with governors and the community.

Selection usually takes two days or more. Expect a tour, data and budget tasks, a presentation, an in-tray exercise, a pupil panel, interviews with staff and governors, and sometimes a lesson observation task where you give feedback to a teacher. See preparing a presentation for an interview.

Pay on the leadership range

The government accepted the STRB’s recommendation of 3.5% on pay ranges from 1 September 2026. The STPCD 2026 was still a draft at mid-October 2026, with publication expected in early November and the new rates backdated to 1 September.

Area	Leadership group from 1 September 2026
England excluding London	£53,586 to £148,829
London fringe	£55,060 to £150,301
Outer London	£57,837 to £153,042
Inner London	£63,709 to £158,863

A head’s pay is not chosen freely from this whole range. In maintained schools the board works out the school’s headteacher group from pupil numbers, which sets a narrower band, and then sets an individual range within it. Academies can set their own pay but usually follow a similar logic. Our guide to the leadership pay range explains the groups.

Headteachers in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme pay contributions based on actual salary. For 2026/27 the rate is 10.5% on salaries from £57,777 to £76,572.99, 11.6% from £76,573 to £104,413.99, and 12% from £104,414. The take-home pay calculator shows the combined effect of tax, National Insurance and pension.

Workload and pressure

Heads are accountable for everything that happens in the school: results, safeguarding, the budget, buildings and Ofsted judgements. Hours are long and the work carries on through the holidays. The 1,265 hours of directed time that apply to classroom teachers do not cover headteachers.

The job also involves a lot of difficult people management, from staff capability cases to complaints from parents. Support comes from the board, the local authority or trust, professional associations and peers. Our guide to Ofsted inspections from a staff perspective is worth reading before you apply.

Headship outside England

Qualification rules are stricter elsewhere in the UK. In Wales, a first-time headteacher in a maintained school must normally hold the Welsh NPQH, which is run through the national academy for educational leadership. In Scotland, new headteachers in local authority schools need the Standard for Headship, usually gained through the Into Headship programme, and pay follows the SNCT scales; from 1 August 2026 the depute and head range runs from £67,332 to £124,365. Northern Ireland has its own leadership development and pay arrangements set by the Education Authority and the Department of Education.

If you are thinking of moving between nations as a senior leader, check whether your existing qualification is recognised before you apply.

Notice and leaving

Headteachers in maintained schools in England and Wales work to longer notice periods than teachers: three months, or four months for the summer term. To leave at 31 August, that means notice by the end of April. Academies often copy these terms, so check your contract.

Headteacher vacancies are listed on the DfE Teaching Vacancies service and under school leadership jobs. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own leadership pay arrangements and qualification expectations.