School secretaries: salary in the UK
About £23,856 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +6.5% on last year
£2,354 a month About £1,988 a month after tax 11 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 £20,971 in 2021 to £28,245 in 2026 (+35%); 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 | x | £17,935 | £20,971 | £24,315 | x |
| 2022 | x | £18,434 | £20,468 | x | x |
| 2023 | x | £20,287 | £22,519 | x | x |
| 2024 | £19,747 | £22,801 | £25,283 | x | x |
| 2025 | x | £23,160 | £26,510 | £29,709 | x |
| 2026 | £20,030 | £24,481 | £28,245 | £32,874 | 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 £28,245 a year and half earn more. That is 31% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £24,481 and £32,874; one in ten earns less than £20,030.
Ranked by median, it is number 327 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £1,988 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £1,991 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £20,030 | £1,669 |
| 20th | £22,434 | £1,869 |
| 25th (P25) | £24,481 | £2,040 |
| 30th | £25,321 | £2,110 |
| 40th | £26,752 | £2,229 |
| Median (50th) | £28,245 | £2,354 |
| 60th | £29,926 | £2,494 |
| 70th | £31,514 | £2,626 |
| 75th (P75) | £32,874 | £2,740 |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | x | £26,825 | x |
| Women | £28,475 | £28,848 | 9 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £23,856 | £1,988 |
| Scotland | £23,896 | £1,991 |
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 £28,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 19 job titles to SOC 4213 School secretaries. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Admin assistant
- Admin officer
- Administration assistant
- Administration officer
- Administrative assistant
- Administrative officer
- Administrator
- Clerical assistant
- Clerical officer
- Clerk
- Clerk-typist
- Office administrator
- Registry assistant
- School administrator
- School clerk
- School office administrator
- School secretary
- School support officer
- Secretary
Similar occupations
All jobs in Administrative and secretarial 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.