The 4% Teacher Pay Award 2025: What It Actually Meant for Your Pay Packet

The headline: 4%

The School Teachers' Review Body recommended a 4% uplift for 2025/26, accepted by the government and applied from September 2025. For most teachers, it was the first award that properly kept pace with recent inflation — even if it didn't close the real-terms gap entirely.

For a teacher on M4, that moved basic pay from roughly £38,035 to £39,556 — an increase of £1,521/year.

What 4% actually adds to take-home

The gross increase is not what you see in your account. Here's what happens to that £1,521 for a mid-scale teacher:

A 4% headline rise adds roughly £83/month to a mid-scale teacher's take-home.

How it compares across scale points

Teachers at U1 and above benefit slightly less in proportional take-home terms as more of their salary falls in the higher-rate tax band.

Real-terms context

CPI peaked at 11.1% in October 2022. Teachers are still broadly behind in real terms compared to 2010 levels — the STRB noted that teacher pay has fallen around 13% in real terms over that period.

The 4% award partially closes the gap but doesn't eliminate it. Whether it changes your financial picture depends heavily on your location and living costs.

What about the London premium?

The 4% was applied uniformly across all pay scales — including London scales. An Inner London M6 teacher saw their salary rise from approximately £47,565 to £49,467 (+£1,902/yr), adding around £104/month net.

Use our calculator to see exactly what your current pay means after all deductions, and compare what the 4% rise added at your specific scale point.