Special needs education teaching professionals: salary in the UK
About £39,041 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +5.3% on last year
£4,111 a month About £3,253 a month after tax 28 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £33,837 in 2021 to £49,335 in 2026 (+46%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £17,354 | £24,978 | £33,837 | £42,184 | x |
| 2022 | £17,433 | £23,742 | £36,363 | £42,394 | x |
| 2023 | £19,475 | £25,933 | £36,682 | £44,441 | x |
| 2024 | £23,626 | £31,239 | £43,248 | £49,814 | x |
| 2025 | £27,568 | £36,006 | £46,831 | £52,387 | x |
| 2026 | £25,342 | £36,235 | £49,335 | £53,700 | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £49,335 a year and half earn more. That is 21% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £36,235 and £53,700; one in ten earns less than £25,342.
Ranked by median, it is number 74 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,253 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,141 in Scotland.
The median for men is £51,683 and for women £47,296, a gap of 8% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £25,342 | £2,112 |
| 20th | £33,906 | £2,825 |
| 25th (P25) | £36,235 | £3,020 |
| 30th | £39,152 | £3,263 |
| 40th | £42,296 | £3,525 |
| Median (50th) | £49,335 | £4,111 |
| 60th | £51,003 | £4,250 |
| 70th | £51,939 | £4,328 |
| 75th (P75) | £53,700 | £4,475 |
| 80th | £55,609 | £4,634 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £51,683 | £49,538 | x |
| Women | £47,296 | £44,774 | 24 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £39,041 | £3,253 |
| Scotland | £37,691 | £3,141 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £49,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 53 job titles to SOC 2316 Special needs education teaching professionals. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- ABA tutor
- Additional learning needs coordinator
- Advisory teacher of the deaf
- Alnco
- Art teacher
- Assistant head
- Assistant head master
- Assistant head mistress
- Assistant head teacher
- Assistant headteacher
- Assistant principal
- Behaviour support teacher
- Behaviour teacher
- Class teacher
- Dance lecturer
- Dance teacher
- Dancing teacher
- Deputy head
- Deputy head master
- Deputy head mistress
- Deputy head teacher
- Deputy headteacher
- Deputy principal
- House master
- House mistress
- Instructor
- Learning support teacher
- Learning support tutor
- Lecturer
- Master
- Mistress
- Music teacher
- Owner
- Portage teacher
- School master
- School mistress
- Sen teacher
- Senco
- SEND teacher
- SENDco
- Special educational needs coordinator
- Special educational needs teacher
- Special needs coordinator
- Special needs educationalist
- Special needs teacher
- Special needs tutor
- Specialist teacher
- Teacher
- Teacher of the deaf
- Teacher of the hearing impaired
- Teacher of the visually impaired
- Tutor
- Unqualified teacher
Similar occupations
All jobs in Professional occupations
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.