Updated 29 September 2026. This guide focuses on England. Figures are gross, before deductions; they are not take-home pay or an offer of employment.
A teaching assistant advert can quote a full-time-equivalent salary, an actual term-time salary or an hourly rate. Those are different figures. Before comparing jobs, identify the employer’s grade, contracted hours and paid weeks. There is no single nationwide “Level 2” or “Level 3” TA salary.
The 2026/27 support-staff pay award
The NJC agreement dated 24 August 2026 sets a 3.3% increase from 1 April 2026, covering the period to 31 March 2027. SCP 2 was deleted from that date. This is a support-staff settlement, separate from the teacher pay award. Check whether the employer follows NJC arrangements and whether its advert already includes the increase.
Selected NJC pay points from 1 April 2026
These national-spine examples help you interpret an advert. They are not fixed grades for particular TA qualifications, and do not include a separate London/local pay structure. Actual part-time or term-time earnings can be lower than the FTE amount.
| Spinal column point | Annual FTE salary | Published hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | £25,614 | £13.28 |
| 6 | £26,847 | £13.92 |
| 10 | £28,608 | £14.83 |
| 14 | £30,515 | £15.82 |
Source: NJC Annex 1. The employer’s job evaluation and pay policy determine the points assigned to the role. A qualification level is not the same thing as a spinal column point.
What determines a teaching assistant’s grade?
The NEU’s support-staff guidance explains that many schools use local-government pay arrangements, while contracts and local policies determine the applicable scale and progression. Read the actual job description, not just the title.
- General classroom support, individual pupil support and specialist intervention work can involve different responsibilities.
- Check whether the duties include personal care, specialist communication, behaviour support, assessment or supervision of colleagues.
- Ask which grade and starting point apply and how progression within that grade works.
- Do not assume that acquiring a qualification automatically regrades an existing post; discuss the role and employer’s process.
FTE salary versus the amount you actually earn
FTE means the equivalent annual pay for the employer’s full-time, full-year basis. Your actual gross salary reflects your contracted hours and the employer’s paid-weeks factor. Paid weeks are not necessarily the same as pupil term weeks: the factor can include paid leave. Devon’s payroll guidance illustrates this distinction.
Illustration only: assume £27,000 FTE, 30 hours compared with a 37-hour full-time week, and an employer-confirmed paid factor of 44.5 weeks against 52.143. The calculation is £27,000 × 30/37 × 44.5/52.143 = about £18,683 gross annually, or about £1,557 gross monthly over 12 payments. These inputs are hypothetical, not a standard entitlement or an Impact vacancy.
Ask payroll to confirm its full-time hours, paid factor, rounding and actual annual amount. Do not apply a second reduction if an advert already gives the actual salary. Net pay cannot be inferred from the grade alone.
Do teaching assistants receive holiday pay?
Term-time working does not remove paid-holiday rights. A school-employed annual salary may include an allowance for paid leave and be spread across the year. Agency or irregular-hours arrangements can work differently. Use the official holiday-entitlement guidance and ask for the treatment in your own contract; school closure weeks and paid annual leave are not interchangeable.
TA, SEN TA, LSA and HLTA: compare duties as well as pay
Job titles overlap across employers. A SEN teaching assistant may provide specialist pupil support, while an HLTA post can include wider responsibility for learning activities and class cover. SEN experience does not by itself make every post an HLTA post. Use our HLTA salary guide when higher-level responsibilities are part of the offer.
Questions to ask before accepting
- Is the advertised figure FTE or actual salary?
- Which grade, spine and effective date are being used?
- How many hours and working weeks are contracted?
- What paid-weeks factor and holiday arrangements apply?
- Is London/local weighting included already?
- Who employs and pays me, and what is the actual gross annual or daily amount?
Find your next teaching assistant role
Browse teaching assistant jobs, SEN support opportunities and LSA roles. Register with Impact Teachers with your experience, availability and preferred locations so we can discuss suitable work and the pay basis for each assignment.
