2026/27 pay award
The Independent Welsh Pay Review Body (IWPRB) has recommended that teachers in Wales should receive a 4.25% pay uplift for the 2026/27 academic year.
However, the Welsh Government has decided there will be a 3.5% pay uplift for teachers in Wales.
The Welsh Government has accepted the recommendations and has also announced a package of additional funding for schools to help them meet the majority of costs for the pay award.
Please see our Pay Award (Wales) page for further details of the implementation process.
Please note that the pay values below are advisory only. Whilst the Union does not expect them to change, this remains a possibility prior to the publication of the STPC(W)D 2026.
Teachers’ pay scales for Wales
The pay values below are those published in the STPC(W)D and fall short of our demand for an above RPI inflation pay increase this year.
Qualified Teachers
Teaching and Learning Responsibilities (TLRs)
Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Allowances
Unqualified Teachers
Lead Practitioners
Leadership Group
Ranges for Headteachers
Qualified Teachers
| Spine point | 1 Sept 2025 to 31 Aug 2026 | 1 Sept 2026 to 31 Aug 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Core pay scale | ||
| M2 (Minimum) [1] | £33,731 | £34,912 |
| M3 | £36,441 | £37,717 |
| M4 | £39,249 | £40,623 |
| M5 | £42,339 | £43,821 |
| M6 (Maximum) | £46,595 | £48,226 |
| U1 (Minimum) [1] | £48,304 | £49,995 |
| U2 | £50,095 | £51,849 |
| U3 (Maximum) | £51,942 | £53,760 |
Teaching and Learning Responsibilities (TLRs)
| 1 Sept 2025 to 31 Aug 2026 | 1 Sept 2026 to 31 Aug 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Payment 1 (TLR1) | ||
| Minimum Maximum |
£10,354 £17,518 |
£10,717 £18,132 |
| Payment 2 (TLR2) | ||
| Minimum Maximum |
£3,590 £8,764 |
£3,716 £9,071 |
| Payment 3 (TLR) (Fixed term) | ||
| Minimum Maximum |
£714 £3,540 |
£739 £3,664 |
NASUWT recommends that if the relevant body awards TLRs of different annual values to two or more teachers, the minimum difference in the annual value between each award of a TLR1 is £1,500 and between each award of a TLR2 is £1,500.
See our Teaching and Learning Responsibility Payments (Wales) advice page for further guidance.
Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Allowances
| 1 Sept 2025 to 31 Aug 2026 | 1 Sept 2026 to 31 Aug 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| ALN Minimum ALN Maximum |
£2,838 £5,595 |
£2,938 £5,791 |
Unqualified Teachers
| Scale point | 1 Sept 2025 to 31 Aug 2026 | 1 Sept 2026 to 31 Aug 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Minimum) | £22,685 | £23,820 |
| 2 | £25,322 | £26,589 |
| 3 | £27,960 | £29,358 |
| 4 | £30,596 | £32,126 |
| 5 | £33,238 | £34,900 |
| 6 (Maximum) | £35,875 | £37,669 |
Lead Practitioners
| Spine point | 1 Sept 2025 to 31 Aug 2026 | 1 Sept 2026 to 31 Aug 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £52,939 | £54,792 |
| 2 | £54,266 | £56,166 |
| 3 | £55,620 | £57,567 |
| 4 | £57,003 | £58,999 |
| 5 | £58,422 | £60,467 |
| 6 | £59,889 | £61,986 |
| 7 | £61,502 | £63,655 |
| 8 | £62,918 | £65,121 |
| 9 | £64,490 | £66,748 |
| 10 | £66,148 | £68,464 |
| 11 | £67,864 | £70,240 |
| 12 | £69,428 | £71,858 |
| 13 | £71,162 | £73,653 |
| 14 | £72,937 | £75,490 |
| 15 | £74,752 | £77,369 |
| 16 | £76,739 | £79,425 |
| 17 | £78,500 | £81,248 |
| 18 | £80,478 | £83,295 |
Leadership Group
| Spine point | 1 Sept 2025 to 31 Aug 2026 | 1 Sept 2026 to 31 Aug 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| L1 [1] | £52,680 | £54,524 |
| L2 | £53,997 | £55,887 |
| L3 | £55,345 | £57,283 |
| L4 | £56,723 | £58,709 |
| L5 | £58,136 | £60,171 |
| L6 | £59,597 | £61,683 |
| L7 | £61,198 | £63,340 |
| L8 | £62,612 | £64,804 |
| L9 | £64,174 | £66,421 |
| L10 | £65,822 | £68,126 |
| L11 | £67,531 | £69,895 |
| L12 | £69,088 | £71,507 |
| L13 | £70,814 | £73,293 |
| L14 | £72,579 | £75,120 |
| L15 | £74,384 | £76,988 |
| L16 | £76,364 | £79,037 |
| L17 | £78,116 | £80,851 |
| L18 | £80,080 | £82,883 |
| L19 | £82,067 | £84,940 |
| L20 | £84,100 | £87,044 |
| L21 | £86,183 | £89,200 |
| L22 | £88,322 | £91,414 |
| L23 | £90,509 | £93,677 |
| L24 | £92,754 | £96,001 |
| L25 | £95,058 | £98,386 |
| L26 | £97,410 | £100,820 |
| L27 | £99,824 | £103,318 |
| L28 | £102,299 | £105,880 |
| L29 | £104,832 | £108,502 |
| L30 | £107,442 | £111,203 |
| L31 | £110,097 | £113,951 |
| L32 | £112,832 | £116,782 |
| L33 | £115,635 | £119,683 |
| L34 | £118,494 | £122,642 |
| L35 | £121,440 | £125,691 |
| L36 | £124,446 | £128,802 |
| L37 | £127,540 | £132,004 |
| L38 | £130,696 | £135,271 |
| L39 | £133,882 | £138,568 |
| L40 | £137,221 | £142,024 |
| L41 | £140,650 | £145,573 |
| L42 | £144,173 | £149,220 |
| L43 | £146,313 | £151,434 |
Please also see the pay ranges for headteachers below if you are at the top of a headteacher pay range.
Ranges for Headteachers
| Group | Range of spine points | 1 Sept 2025 to 31 Aug 2026 | 1 Sept 2026 to 31 Aug 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L6-L18 | £59,597 - £79,288 | £61,683 - £82,064 |
| 2 | L8-L21 | £62,612 - £85,329 | £64,804 - £88,316 |
| 3 | L11-L24 | £67,531 - £91,836 | £69,895 - £95,051 |
| 4 | L14-L27 | £72,579 - £98,836 | £75,120 - £102,296 |
| 5 | L18-L31 | £80,080 - £109,005 | £82,883 - £112,821 |
| 6 | L21-L35 | £86,183 - £120,238 | £89,200 - £124,447 |
| 7 | L24-L39 | £92,754 - £132,555 | £96,001 - £137,195 |
| 8 | L28-L43 | £102,299 - £146,313 | £105,880 - £151,434 |
The School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) recommended that no pay uplift be applied to the maximum values on the Leadership Group Pay Spine (LGPS) or to maximum values on any of the eight head teacher group pay ranges in 2015.
This restriction was applied to the maximum of each of the eight head teacher group pay ranges only. It does not apply where a head/deputy/assistant head teacher is not earning the maximum on a head teacher group pay range, but is placed on one of the corresponding points on the LGPS - L18, L21, L24, L27, L31, L35 or L39, which have all increased by 1% in each year between 2014 and 2017, by 1.5% in 2018, by 2.75% in 2019 and 2020, by 1.75% in 2021, by 6.5% in 2022, by 5% in 2023, by 5.5% in 2024, by 4% in 2025 and by 3.5% in 2026.
The provisional NASUWT salary scales above are entirely consistent with those proposed by the Welsh Government for 2026. They incorporate the 3.5% pay uplift, which has been implemented by the Welsh Government. Once the statutory consultation period concludes, NASUWT will inform members of the outcome. Whilst the Union does not expect any of the provisional salary and allowances amounts detailed above to change, we cannot guarantee that changes will not be made during the consultation process.
Footnote
[1] M = main pay range, U = upper pay range, L = leadership pay range. All salaries/allowances are listed as £ per annum.
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