Teaching assistant pay in England is set nationally by the National Joint Council (NJC), the same framework used for most local government and school support staff roles. On 28 August 2026, the NJC agreed a 3.3% pay award for 2026/27, backdated to 1 April 2026. This guide is the full pay scale points table with the agreed salaries, the hourly rates, and the roles typically graded to each point.
The pay scale points below are the national NJC figures. Individual schools and academy trusts have some flexibility in exactly which SCPs they use for a given role, and London and other high-cost areas often add area weighting on top, so real advertised salaries vary slightly. The bottom point on the spine is now SCP 3: SCP 2 was deleted on 1 April 2026 to keep the lowest point at or above the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour.
Who sets teaching assistant pay?
Pay for teaching assistants employed by local authorities and most academy trusts is set through the National Joint Council for Local Government Services, negotiated between UNISON, GMB, Unite and the local government employers. The negotiated award is applied to the national NJC pay spine, and every SCP moves by the agreed amount.
For 2026/27, the NJC agreed a flat 3.3% increase on all SCPs, backdated to 1 April 2026. Employers must reflect back-pay in September or October 2026 payslips. The full 2026 employer circular is published on the Local Government Association website.
NJC pay scale points for 2026/27
The table below shows the agreed 2026/27 full-time equivalent salaries alongside the outgoing 2025/26 figures. Hourly rates are based on a 37-hour working week and 52.14 weeks a year (the standard NJC divisor).
| SCP | 2025/26 FTE | 2026/27 FTE (incl. hourly) | Typical TA role |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCP 3 | £24,796 | £25,614 · £13.28/hr | Level 1 / Level 2 TA |
| SCP 4 | £25,185 | £26,016 · £13.48/hr | Level 1 / Level 2 TA |
| SCP 5 | £25,583 | £26,427 · £13.70/hr | Level 2 TA |
| SCP 6 | £25,989 | £26,847 · £13.92/hr | Level 2 TA |
| SCP 7 | £26,403 | £27,274 · £14.14/hr | Level 3 TA |
| SCP 8 | £26,824 | £27,709 · £14.36/hr | Level 3 TA |
| SCP 9 | £27,254 | £28,153 · £14.59/hr | Level 3 TA |
| SCP 10 | £27,694 | £28,608 · £14.83/hr | Level 3 TA |
| SCP 11 | £28,142 | £29,071 · £15.07/hr | Level 3 TA / senior TA |
| SCP 12 | £28,598 | £29,542 · £15.31/hr | Senior TA / HLTA entry |
| SCP 13 | £29,064 | £30,023 · £15.56/hr | Senior TA / HLTA |
| SCP 24 | £35,412 | £36,581 · £18.96/hr | HLTA (upper range) |
| SCP 25 | £36,363 | £37,563 · £19.47/hr | HLTA (upper range) |
SCP 14 to SCP 23 are omitted here because although the 3.3% award applies uniformly, this guide only publishes points we can verify against the primary NJC circular for the roles a teaching assistant is realistically appointed to. Senior support staff and pastoral leads often sit in that middle range: check the employer circular linked in the sources.
Why your actual salary is lower than the FTE
Almost every teaching assistant role in England is term-time only. That means the full-time equivalent figures in the table are pro-rated down to reflect the weeks you actually work (usually 39 weeks in term plus a small allowance) and the hours per week the school employs you for.
A worked example: a Level 3 TA on SCP 9 (£28,153 FTE for 2026/27), working 32.5 hours a week, on a 39-week contract, takes home £28,153 × (32.5 ÷ 37) × (45.29 ÷ 52.14) = about £21,472 a year gross. That is why job adverts often quote a much lower headline salary than the SCP looks on paper.
What moves you up the pay scale
Three things typically push a teaching assistant up the SCPs:
- Qualifications. Level 2 TAs commonly sit on SCP 3–6, Level 3 TAs on SCP 7–11, and HLTA-status staff on SCP 12 upward. A Level 3 Teaching Assistant qualification is usually the minimum for the higher grade.
- Responsibility. SEN specialism, cover supervision, subject-lead responsibilities or acting up into an HLTA role usually attracts a higher SCP or a role allowance on top.
- Experience. Most authorities pay incremental progression each April within the SCP band assigned to your role, up to the top point of that band.
Progressing to HLTA and beyond
HLTA (Higher Level Teaching Assistant) status is not a qualification on its own — it is a formal assessment against national HLTA Professional Standards, awarded after evidencing your teaching practice. Most schools expect you to already hold a Level 3 TA qualification and to have been in the classroom for at least two years before attempting HLTA assessment.
Once you have HLTA status, schools typically appoint you at SCP 12 or above, and the upper HLTA band (SCP 24–25) is usually reserved for whole-school specialisms or senior HLTA/cover supervisor roles.