Teacher pay in London and the fringe

Teachers in London are paid on separate, higher pay ranges. From 1 September 2026 an Inner London teacher starts at £41,729 on M1, an Outer London teacher at £39,196 and a fringe teacher at £35,602, compared with £34,069 in the rest of England. The extra is built into the pay ranges themselves, so a teacher’s payslip has no separate London allowance line.

London and fringe pay ranges from September 2026

These are the STRB’s recommended levels for 2026/27, which include the 3.5% award (5% on the unqualified minimum) that the government accepted on 1 July 2026.

Range or point	Fringe	Outer London	Inner London
Unqualified range	£24,909 to £38,004	£27,727 to £40,831	£29,336 to £42,429
M1	£35,602	£39,196	£41,729
M2	£37,647	£41,246	£43,713
M3	£39,979	£43,403	£45,787
M4	£42,513	£45,673	£47,961
M5	£45,070	£48,438	£50,666
M6	£48,479	£52,241	£54,131
U1	£50,625	£54,047	£59,650
U2	£52,442	£56,047	£62,581
U3	£54,328	£58,120	£64,684
Leading practitioner	£55,332 to £83,347	£58,120 to £86,136	£64,024 to £92,043
Leadership group	£55,060 to £150,301	£57,837 to £153,042	£63,709 to £158,863

The M1 to M6 points are advisory, and schools set their own points within the statutory minimum and maximum. The rest of England figures are in teacher pay scales in England.

How big the London difference is

At M1, Inner London pays £7,660 more than the rest of England, Outer London £5,127 more and the fringe £1,533 more. The gap widens on the upper pay range: U3 is £64,684 in Inner London against £52,835 elsewhere, a difference of £11,849.

Whether that covers the extra cost of living and commuting is a personal calculation. Rent, travel and childcare in London can absorb the difference quickly, especially in the early years of the main range.

Which area your school is in

The STPCD defines the Inner London area, the Outer London area and the fringe area by the location of the school. Inner London covers the central boroughs, Outer London the rest of Greater London, and the fringe a set of named districts in the surrounding counties. The pay range follows the school, so two schools a few miles apart can pay differently if the boundary falls between them.

Job adverts on Teaching Vacancies usually state the pay range or the area. When it is unclear, ask the school which range applies before you accept an offer.

When the new rates are paid

The award is confirmed, but the STPCD 2026, the legal document that brings it into force, is still a draft. Consultation closed on 23 September 2026 and publication is expected around early November 2026, backdated to 1 September 2026. Maintained schools cannot apply the new rates until it is in force, so many London teachers will be paid arrears later in the autumn. Academies set their own pay policies and may move sooner. The teacher pay award guide has the latest position.

Unqualified, part-time and supply teachers

The unqualified teacher range gets the biggest rise in 2026/27, with 5% on its minimum against 3.5% elsewhere. In Inner London it now runs from £29,336 to £42,429, and in Outer London from £27,727 to £40,831. Schools decide where on the range to place an unqualified teacher, based on their pay policy and the teacher’s experience.

Part-time teachers are paid a pro rata share of the London salary, worked out by comparing their hours with a full-time teacher’s. Full-time directed time is 1,265 hours over 195 days.

Supply teachers employed directly by a school or local authority are paid on the same scales. Much supply work in London goes through agencies, which set their own day rates. After 12 weeks in the same role with the same hirer, agency workers are entitled to the same basic pay and conditions as comparable permanent staff.

Allowances, pension and tax

TLR and SEN allowances are the same national ranges in London as elsewhere. From September 2026 the SEN allowance is £2,885 to £5,690, and TLR2 is £3,651 to £8,913. They are added on top of your London salary.

Higher London pay can put you in a higher Teachers’ Pension Scheme tier earlier. An Inner London teacher at M1 (£41,729) pays 8.9%, a rate that applies elsewhere in England only from M3. On U1 in Inner London (£59,650) the rate is 10.5%, the tier from £57,777. The Teachers’ Pension Scheme guide lists all tiers.

The higher rate of income tax starts at £50,270, which an Inner London teacher passes at M5 (£50,666) and an Outer London teacher at M6 (£52,241). The take-home pay calculator shows net monthly pay for any London point, and the London weighting guide compares how teachers, NHS staff and council workers are paid in the capital. Vacancies are on the teaching jobs board.