Early education and childcare practitioners: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time early education and childcare practitioners in the UK earned a median £23,717 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 39% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
It is in the lowest-paid third of the 382 occupations (11th from the bottom).
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £20,610 and £26,521.
Median full-time pay: women £23,677 a year, men £26,522 a year.
About 59% of the roughly 114,000 employee jobs are full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 35.0% (from £17,565), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 94,000 people in this line of work, 16% of them in East of England.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £16,583 | £420.80 | £12.21 | £10,091 | £210.50 | £12.21 |
| 20th percentile | £19,622 | £452.10 | £12.35 | £12,237 | £278.50 | £12.36 |
| 25th percentile | £20,610 | £462.30 | £12.46 | £13,622 | £309.50 | £12.48 |
| 30th percentile | £21,507 | £471.00 | £12.55 | £14,632 | £351.90 | £12.55 |
| 40th percentile | £22,609 | £490.40 | £12.73 | £16,613 | £399.70 | £12.76 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £23,717 | £507.80 | £13.00 | £19,516 | £441.80 | £13.02 |
| 60th percentile | £25,028 | £523.10 | £13.30 | £21,683 | £477.50 | £13.46 |
| 70th percentile | £25,949 | £550.30 | £13.96 | £23,573 | £508.00 | £14.05 |
| 75th percentile | £26,521 | £564.90 | £14.50 | £24,510 | £521.30 | £14.49 |
| 80th percentile | £27,405 | £586.10 | £15.16 | £25,382 | £537.80 | £15.14 |
| 90th percentile | – | – | – | £28,216* | £602.80 | £17.22 |
| Mean | £23,814 | £523.00 | £13.83 | £19,233 | £428.40 | £13.99 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £17,565 | £373.00 | £9.41 | £13,848 | £310.60 | 133 |
| 2022 revised | £18,433 | £397.70 | £10.06 | £14,322* | £336.20 | 85 |
| 2023 revised | £20,586 | £439.50 | £11.36 | £16,273 | £362.50 | 99 |
| 2024 revised | £22,057 | £478.80 | £12.18 | £17,850 | £417.50 | 114 |
| 2025 provisional | £23,717 | £507.80 | £13.00 | £19,516 | £441.80 | 114 |
Early education and childcare practitioners by region
UK: 94,000 (± 11,900), April 2025 to March 2026. 9 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| East of England | 15,400* | ± 5,300 |
| South East | 15,300* | ± 4,900 |
| Scotland | 15,200* | ± 4,500 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What early education and childcare practitioners do
Early education and childcare practitioners lead the learning and development of and care for children from birth up to five years of age in a school, nursery, or childcare environment. (ONS SOC 2020, 3232)
Also covers: childcare practitioner, early years practitioner, pre-school practitioner, nursery practitioner, early years educator, nursery nurse practitioner, nursery officer (qualified), nursery school practitioner, practitioner (early years), nursery education officer (qualified) and child development officer (early years).
- Plans children’s day and activities and leads on social, language and numerical development
- Coordinates observation and assessment on children’s play, development and learning
- Identifies and responds to health and safety issues
- Leads on preparing children for transitions to different settings, including school.
- Communicates with parents, colleagues and external professionals on children’s development and health and well-being
- Supervises and supports other early education and childcare workers
Qualified practitioners need to have achieved an early years degree qualification, such as Early Years Professional, Early Years Teacher, Early Childhood Studies Degree, Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies. A DBS check is mandatory.
Related
Teaching and childcare associate professionals (median £24,261) · Higher level teaching assistants · Welfare and housing associate professionals n.e.c. · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026