School leadership pay range

Headteachers, deputy heads and assistant heads in England are paid from the leadership group pay range. From 1 September 2026 it runs from £53,586 to £148,829 outside London, after the 3.5% award. Nobody is paid “on the range” as a whole. Each leadership post has its own individual school range (ISR), set by the governing board within limits that depend on the size and type of school.

The leadership range by area

These are the minimum and maximum of the whole leadership group range from 1 September 2026, as recommended by the School Teachers’ Review Body and accepted by the government on 1 July 2026.

Area	Leadership group range
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

The new rates are not yet law in maintained schools. The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) 2026 is still a draft, and the Local Government Association expects it around early November 2026, backdated to 1 September 2026. Until it comes into force, maintained schools keep paying the 2025/26 figures and settle the difference later. The teacher pay award 2026/27 guide follows the timetable.

How the headteacher’s range is set

The starting point is the school’s headteacher group. The STPCD works this out from the number of pupils on roll, weighted so that older pupils count for more, with extra weighting for pupils in special schools and specialist provision. The total puts the school in a headteacher group, and each group has its own minimum and maximum within the overall leadership range.

The governing board then sets the headteacher’s ISR inside the group range. It can take into account how hard the post is to fill, the school’s circumstances and whether the head is responsible for more than one school. A board can go above the group maximum only in limited circumstances, and it is expected to record its reasons and, in some cases, take external advice.

The headteacher group ranges are not listed here because the 2026/27 values sit in the draft STPCD, which may still change before it is published. Your local authority or trust HR team will have them, and so will the final document on gov.uk.

Deputy and assistant head pay

Deputies and assistant heads also get an ISR, set by the board. Their ranges sit below the head’s, and the gap is a matter for the board’s pay policy. Ranges are usually written as a span of points on the leadership spine, and you move up through annual pay decisions linked to appraisal.

Heads of school in a federation, executive heads and trust-wide roles are all paid from the same leadership range in maintained schools. In academies and multi-academy trusts the board or trust can set its own pay structure, and many keep a version of the STPCD leadership range. Senior trust roles such as chief executive are often outside it. The multi-academy trusts guide covers how trusts make these decisions.

Pay progression and appraisal

Movement up an ISR is not automatic. The board reviews leadership pay each year using the appraisal outcome. If you are applying for a deputy or head post, ask for the ISR in writing at the offer stage, along with the pay policy and how progression is decided. Your starting point on the ISR is negotiable within the range, which is worth knowing before you accept.

Pension and tax at leadership level

Leaders in state schools pay into the Teachers’ Pension Scheme at the higher tiers. From 1 April 2026 the member rate is 9.9% on a salary rate from £48,728, 10.5% from £57,777, 11.6% from £76,573 and 12% from £104,414. The rate is set on your actual salary, so a part-time deputy pays according to actual pay.

Every point on the leadership range is above £50,270, where 40% income tax starts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Heads of larger schools face a second line: the personal allowance falls by £1 for every £2 of adjusted net income over £100,000 and disappears at £125,140. Pension contributions reduce adjusted net income, which affects where you land. The £100,000 tax trap guide works through it, and the pension annual allowance guide covers the separate limit on tax-relieved pension savings.

Notice periods for leaders

In maintained schools, the Burgundy Book sets three months’ notice for headteachers, or four months to leave at the end of the summer term. Deputies and assistant heads follow the standard teacher dates: notice by 31 October to leave on 31 December, by the end of February to leave on 30 April, or by 31 May to leave on 31 August. Academies often copy these terms, though your contract is what counts.

Leadership pay elsewhere in the UK

The figures above apply to England. Scotland pays depute heads and headteachers on its own scale, which runs from £67,332 to £124,365 from 1 August 2026. Wales has its own pay document, and its 2026/27 award is still out for consultation. Northern Ireland’s principals and vice-principals are on separate scales, and no 2026/27 offer had been made by mid-October 2026.

Leadership vacancies in England are listed on the school leadership jobs board.