Deputy Headteacher Salary 2026/27
Deputy heads are paid on the leadership group pay range. the accepted 2026 award sets that range at £53,586 to £148,829 outside London and £63,709 to £158,863 in inner London, and the governing body sets an individual pay range for each post inside that span. Where a post sits depends on school size, headteacher group and the governing body's own pay policy.
Typical pay & take-home
- Typical deputy head post
- £72,000
- Typical post, not the statutory span
- £60,000–£90,000
- Take-home at median
- £52,317 England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.
At the median for this profession, you earn about 84% above the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you in the top 13% of UK earners.
See exact take-home for £72,000 →
The statutory leadership range, the headteacher group ranges, and why no published pay point exists for a deputy or assistant head: School leadership pay 2026/27 →
What influences deputy headteacher pay
Leadership pay is governed by the school size, which fixes the headteacher group, and by the governing body choosing an individual pay range for the role within the statutory leadership span. A deputy in a 2,000-pupil secondary earns materially more than one in a 400-pupil primary.
A deputy head is a higher-rate taxpayer throughout: at £60,000, the bottom of the typical range, the 10.5% contribution still leaves £53,700 of taxable pay against a £50,270 threshold. The Teachers' Pension tiers across this range are 10.5% up to £76,572.99 and then 11.6% to £104,413.99 (2026/27 tiers). It is a net pay arrangement, so the contribution gets full 40% Income Tax relief but no National Insurance relief.
Inner London leadership pay is a wider statutory span, £63,709 to £158,863 under the accepted 2026 award, and an individual post's range sits inside it. Passing £100,000 of gross pay does nothing on its own, which is the part most guidance gets wrong: the personal allowance taper is measured on adjusted net income, and the pension contribution is deducted before that figure, so on the 12% tier gross pay has to reach £113,637 before the taper begins and £142,205 before the allowance is gone. Inside that band the marginal rate on adjusted net income is 60%.
Career progression
- Leadership group statutory range outside London: £53,586 minimum to £148,829 maximum (STRB 36th Report, Appendix F). The governing body sets the pay range for the post inside that span.
- Typical deputy headteacher pay sits in the £60,000 to £90,000 part of that span, driven by school size and headteacher group.
- Headteacher pay is a statutory range per headteacher group (STRB 36th Report, Appendix F): £60,619 to £80,652 in Group 1, rising to £104,059 to £148,829 in Group 8.
Frequently asked questions
- Does a deputy head on £100,000 lose the personal allowance?
- Not at that salary. The taper is measured on adjusted net income, and the Teachers Pension is a net pay arrangement, so the contribution is deducted before that figure is worked out. On the 12% tier gross pay has to reach £113,637 before adjusted net income reaches £100,000 and the first pound of allowance goes, and £142,205 before the £12,570 allowance is gone entirely. Between those two the marginal rate on adjusted net income is 60%, which is where an extra pension contribution earns its keep.
- Is the Teachers Pension still worth it at deputy level?
- It is a career average scheme building 1/57th of each year's pensionable pay, and the employer pays 28.68% of salary into it. On the £72,000 typical post the member contribution is £7,560, and because it is deducted before Income Tax at a marginal 40% the cost in take-home is £4,536. National Insurance is charged on the full gross either way.
Getting into this job
How to become a teacher in EnglandThe routes to qualified teacher status in England, what each one costs, and every STPCD pay point from M1 to U3 with real take-home.