Primary education teaching professionals: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time primary education teaching professionals in the UK earned a median £45,939 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 18% more than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
That ranks 89th of 382 occupations on this measure.
One in ten full-time jobs paid under £30,674; one in ten paid over £60,620.
Median full-time pay: women £45,517 a year, men £47,588 a year.
Full-time paid hours are shorter than usual, a median of 32.5 a week.
About 72% of the roughly 436,000 employee jobs are full-time.
Since 2021 it has risen 21.4%, from £37,831, slower than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 374,900 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 | £30,674 | £641.70 | £19.40 | £19,713 | £416.20 | £19.74 |
| 20th percentile | £35,648 | £728.90 | £22.43 | £27,215 | £564.40 | £23.33 |
| 25th percentile | £37,847 | £775.00 | £23.87 | £30,407 | £609.40 | £24.88 |
| 30th percentile | £39,954 | £816.30 | £25.57 | £33,034 | £668.40 | £25.73 |
| 40th percentile | £43,185 | £871.50 | £26.99 | £37,662 | £765.70 | £27.43 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £45,939 | £930.10 | £28.13 | £42,031 | £835.70 | £28.78 |
| 60th percentile | £48,519 | £969.10 | £29.51 | £45,641 | £918.40 | £30.15 |
| 70th percentile | £50,032 | £1,005.70 | £31.32 | £48,816 | £969.50 | £31.98 |
| 75th percentile | £51,676 | £1,048.90 | £32.74 | £49,898 | £993.00 | £33.88 |
| 80th percentile | £53,993 | £1,099.40 | £34.99 | £51,335 | £1,036.10 | £36.01 |
| 90th percentile | £60,620 | £1,256.50 | £39.56 | £57,904 | £1,210.10 | £40.48 |
| Mean | £45,535 | £932.10 | £28.78 | £40,396 | £822.70 | £29.25 |
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 | £37,831 | £743.30 | £22.82 | £34,859 | £703.90 | 542 |
| 2022 revised | £38,195 | £769.00 | £23.66 | £35,486 | £708.40 | 543 |
| 2023 revised | £39,996 | £827.20 | £25.56 | £37,214 | £744.30 | 467 |
| 2024 revised | £42,759 | £853.70 | £26.57 | £39,283 | £792.10 | 526 |
| 2025 provisional | £45,939 | £930.10 | £28.13 | £42,031 | £835.70 | 436 |
Primary education teaching professionals by region
UK: 374,900 (± 23,800), April 2025 to March 2026.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 59,300 | ± 9,600 |
| London | 51,900* | ± 11,700 |
| North West | 46,200 | ± 8,200 |
| East of England | 38,300* | ± 8,400 |
| South West | 31,600* | ± 6,400 |
| Scotland | 30,100* | ± 6,300 |
| West Midlands | 26,700* | ± 6,800 |
| East Midlands | 24,400* | ± 6,500 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 24,100* | ± 5,700 |
| Wales | 17,900* | ± 3,800 |
| North East | 14,400* | ± 3,800 |
| Northern Ireland | 9,900* | ± 3,200 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What primary education teaching professionals do
Primary (and middle school deemed primary) and education teaching professionals plan, organise and provide instruction to children at all levels up to the age of entry into secondary education. (ONS SOC 2020, 2314)
Also covers: deputy head teacher (primary school), infant teacher, junior school teacher, primary school teacher, art teacher, assistant head, assistant headteacher, assistant principal, class teacher, curriculum leader, dance lecturer, dance teacher, dancing teacher, deputy head, deputy headteacher, deputy principal, drama teacher and english teacher (38 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Prepares and delivers courses and lessons in accordance with curriculum requirements and teaches a range of subjects
- Prepares, assigns and corrects exercises and examinations to record and evaluate students’ progress
- Prepares students for external examinations and administers and invigilates these examinations
- Maintains records of students’ progress and development
- Teaches simple songs and rhymes, reads stories and organises various activities to promote language, social and physical development
- Undertakes pastoral duties
Entry is with a first degree that provides QTS (qualified teacher status) or, in Scotland, TQ (teaching qualification); or other relevant degree followed by further postgraduate training (most commonly PGCE – Postgraduate Certificate in Primary Education, or, in Scotland, PGDE – Professional Graduate Diploma in Education). Further and higher professional qualifications are required for some teaching posts. A DBS check is mandatory.
Related
Teaching professionals (median £47,328) · Secondary education teaching professionals · Nursery education teaching professionals · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026