£95k average headteacher salary refers only to state secondary schools

“Teachers are already paid above the average wage, with most earning nearly £40,000 or more – while head teachers on average receive £95,000.”

A column published in yesterday’s Daily Express, both in print and online, said: “Teachers are already paid above the average wage, with most earning nearly £40,000 or more – while head teachers on average receive £95,000.”

In 2021/22, the average salary for all teachers working in state schools in England was £42,358. This includes classroom teachers, leadership teachers and headteachers. 

The average salary of a classroom teacher in 2021/22 was £38,982.

However, it’s not accurate to say that headteachers on average receive £95,000. This is close to the average salary of a secondary school headteacher in England, which in 2021/22 was between £95,000 and £98,000 depending on the type of state secondary school. 

For all state school headteachers in England, including primary and special educational school headteachers, the average salary was £74,100.

We’ve contacted the Daily Express and will update this piece if it responds.

In December 2022, education secretary Gillian Keegan similarly claimed that the average salary of a headteacher was £95,000 in an interview with LBC.

The BBC reported at the time that Ms Keegan later clarified she was referring to secondary school headteachers.

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