Does upper pay range status move with you to a new school?

In England, upper pay range status is linked to the school that gave it to you. The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) 2026 says a school must pay the upper range to its own post-threshold teachers who have stayed without a break in employment. When you arrive from elsewhere, the new school may pay you on the upper range, but the document does not say it must. This page covers maintained schools in England. The document applies to England only, and academies set their own pay.

What the document says

The relevant body, which is usually the governing board, must pay a teacher on the upper pay range if either of these applies:

• they are a post-threshold teacher employed at that school, and have been without a break in continuity of employment
• they applied to that school to be paid on the upper range, the application succeeded, they are still employed there and there has been no break in continuity

Increases and moves between pay ranges are permanent only for as long as you remain employed within the same school. A decision on an upper pay range application likewise applies only to employment in that school.

What a new school may do

The document lists situations where a school may pay the upper range but is not required to:

• you are a post-threshold teacher but were not employed as one at that school, or you were before a break in continuity
• you applied to another educational setting and the application was successful
• you were formerly paid on the leading practitioner range
• you are an unattached teacher who previously applied successfully

A teacher arriving from another school who was on the upper range may therefore be offered it, but the school decides in line with its pay policy. The statutory pay figures for the range are in the teacher pay scales guide, which also explains how to apply.

What counts as a break in continuity

The statutory guidance says a break in continuity of employment does not include a period of maternity leave, a secondment, or a transfer under TUPE when a school converts to an academy. Teachers in those situations keep the continuity that upper range entitlement depends on. Resigning from one school and starting at another is a change of employer, so the new school’s rules apply.

How a new school decides where to place you

For the main and upper ranges, the relevant body determines your salary within the minimum and maximum. The document includes advisory pay points to help with these decisions, and says the governing board decides where exactly on the range someone is paid. For a displaced leader taking a classroom post, the guidance says it is normally expected that the upper range would be used, though the board has discretion. That example concerns school closures and reorganisations, and does not cover ordinary moves.

Negotiating and checking

Nothing guarantees a transfer of upper range status, so settle it before you accept an offer:

1. Ask the new school for its pay policy, and check how it treats teachers joining from other schools.
2. Ask for your offer in writing, including the pay range and point.
3. Tell them what your current school’s pay decision was and when. If your start date depends on being released early, see the early release guide.
4. Check whether a TLR or SEN allowance is part of the offer. Those belong to the post. See the TLR payments guide.

If you move to an academy, the terms come from your contract and the trust’s pay policy. The academies vs maintained schools guide covers the differences, and the moving schools guide covers resignation dates, pensions and references.

What to check

• whether the new school is maintained, where the STPCD applies, or an academy
• the pay range and point in the written offer
• whether the school has a written policy for joining teachers who were on the upper range
• the date you were awarded upper range status, and any evidence of it
• whether a union adviser can help you raise an offer that looks lower than you expected

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own pay arrangements, and this page does not cover them.