Educational support assistants: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time educational support assistants in the UK earned a median £21,448 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 45% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
Just 1 of 382 occupations with a published full-time median are lower.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £18,465 and £25,501.
Median full-time pay: women £21,034 a year, men £25,007 a year.
Full-time paid hours are shorter than usual, a median of 33.5 a week.
Most jobs here are part-time: 60,000 of about 168,000 are full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 29.2% (from £16,600), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 327,200 people in this line of work, 16% of them in South East.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £16,406 | £404.00 | £12.54 | £8,024 | £161.30 | £12.55 |
| 20th percentile | £17,885 | £425.90 | £12.81 | £11,487 | £261.10 | £12.81 |
| 25th percentile | £18,465 | £440.50 | £13.01 | £12,883 | £294.60 | £13.03 |
| 30th percentile | £19,066 | £451.10 | £13.25 | £14,229 | £324.30 | £13.24 |
| 40th percentile | £20,168 | £470.90 | £13.95 | £15,790 | £367.30 | £13.87 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £21,448 | £496.40 | £14.48 | £17,086 | £397.20 | £14.40 |
| 60th percentile | £22,877 | £518.60 | £15.00 | £18,140 | £423.50 | £14.91 |
| 70th percentile | £24,478 | £545.60 | £15.79 | £19,714 | £460.80 | £15.78 |
| 75th percentile | £25,501 | £562.20 | £16.18 | £20,769 | £481.80 | £16.21 |
| 80th percentile | £26,608 | £591.20 | £16.41 | £22,087 | £509.90 | £16.60 |
| 90th percentile | – | – | – | £25,457 | £569.20 | £18.37 |
| Mean | £23,006 | £522.30 | £15.09 | £17,280 | £389.00 | £15.03 |
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 | £16,600 | £355.60 | £10.36 | £13,062 | £284.80 | 145 |
| 2022 revised | £17,141 | £375.30 | £10.89 | £13,991 | £307.20 | 141 |
| 2023 revised | £19,341 | £418.80 | £11.81 | £15,065 | £334.30 | 150 |
| 2024 revised | £20,749 | £461.10 | £13.30 | £16,481 | £363.80 | 165 |
| 2025 provisional | £21,448 | £496.40 | £14.48 | £17,086 | £397.20 | 168 |
Educational support assistants by region
UK: 327,200 (± 22,200), April 2025 to March 2026.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 51,500 | ± 9,000 |
| London | 36,800* | ± 9,900 |
| North West | 35,500* | ± 7,200 |
| East of England | 34,300* | ± 8,000 |
| West Midlands | 32,600* | ± 7,500 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 28,800* | ± 6,300 |
| South West | 26,500* | ± 5,900 |
| East Midlands | 24,700* | ± 6,600 |
| Scotland | 24,500* | ± 5,700 |
| Wales | 16,300* | ± 3,600 |
| North East | 8,900* | ± 3,000 |
| Northern Ireland | 6,900* | ± 2,700 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What educational support assistants do
Educational support assistants work with teachers to provide one-to-one support for children with particular learning needs. (ONS SOC 2020, 6113)
Also covers: education support assistant, learning support assistant, non-teaching assistant (schools), special needs assistant, support assistant (educational establishments), ancillary worker, integration assistant, learning assistant, non-teaching assistant, note taker, SEN assistant, welfare worker, 1:1 teaching assistant, behaviour support assistant, behaviour support worker, communication support worker, education care officer and education support worker (50 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Supports schoolwork under teacher’s supervision
- Helps child understand instruction through a variety of means and encourages self-confidence and independence
- Identifies signs of distress and offers reassurance
- Implements care programmes, as appropriate
- Helps and encourages child to communicate
- Attends to child’s physical needs
Academic qualifications may be required by some employers, although entry is possible with relevant experience alone. A DBS check is mandatory.
Related
Teaching and childcare support occupations (median £21,920) · Teaching assistants · Childminders · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026