Salary guide
Early Years Educator salary
What early years educators are advertised at on live vacancies we hold — we name the nation whenever we publish a figure.
Official support staff pay spine · 2026/27
NJC pay points 3–43
Full-time, full-year rates from 1 April 2026 (3.3% increase agreed). Show all pay points
| Pay point (SCP) | Annual salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | £25,614 | £13.28 |
| 4 | £26,016 | £13.48 |
| 5 | £26,427 | £13.70 |
| 6 | £26,847 | £13.92 |
| 7 | £27,274 | £14.14 |
| 8 | £27,709 | £14.36 |
| 9 | £28,153 | £14.59 |
| 10 | £28,608 | £14.83 |
| 11 | £29,071 | £15.07 |
| 12 | £29,542 | £15.31 |
| 13 | £30,023 | £15.56 |
| 14 | £30,515 | £15.82 |
| 15 | £31,015 | £16.08 |
| 16 | £31,525 | £16.34 |
| 17 | £32,046 | £16.61 |
| 18 | £32,578 | £16.89 |
| 19 | £33,119 | £17.17 |
| 20 | £33,673 | £17.45 |
| 21 | £34,237 | £17.75 |
| 22 | £34,811 | £18.04 |
| 23 | £35,570 | £18.44 |
| 24 | £36,581 | £18.96 |
| 25 | £37,563 | £19.47 |
| 26 | £38,510 | £19.96 |
| 27 | £39,481 | £20.46 |
| 28 | £40,444 | £20.96 |
| 29 | £41,177 | £21.34 |
| 30 | £42,123 | £21.83 |
| 31 | £43,149 | £22.37 |
| 32 | £44,253 | £22.94 |
| 33 | £45,529 | £23.60 |
| 34 | £46,579 | £24.14 |
| 35 | £47,665 | £24.71 |
| 36 | £48,738 | £25.26 |
| 37 | £49,817 | £25.82 |
| 38 | £50,908 | £26.39 |
| 39 | £51,928 | £26.92 |
| 40 | £53,051 | £27.50 |
| 41 | £54,143 | £28.06 |
| 42 | £55,224 | £28.62 |
| 43 | £56,293 | £29.18 |
Source: NJC for Local Government Services pay agreement 2026 (Annex 1)
Councils and most maintained schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland pay support staff on this spine; each employer decides which pay points a role sits on. Annual figures are for a full-time (37-hour), all-year post — term-time and part-time staff are paid a proportion of them. Hourly rates are for a 37-hour week. Pay point 2 was removed, so the spine now starts at point 3. Academies, independent schools and private nurseries may use their own pay.
Read the official pay agreement (Local Government Association)Typical advertised pay
£25,044 per year – £26,974 per year
Median advertised range for Early Years Practitioner roles in England
Based on Early Years Practitioner adverts
We don't yet have enough Early Years Educator adverts with pay to publish a figure of their own, so this shows the closest main role. Based on 16 live public vacancies. Support-staff pay is set locally, so individual adverts vary.
See the Early Years Practitioner salary guideEarly Years Educator job openings
Early Years Educator
North Elmham Church of England Primary Academy & Nursery · Dereham
L3 Early Years Educator Apprentice
Parish Church of England Primary School, St Helens · St Helens
Early Years Educator and Phonics Intervention Specialist
Leagrave Primary School · Luton
Early Years Educator
Thornton Grove Academy · Hailsham
Early Years Educator (TA3)
St John's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe · Bury
Early Years Educator
Good Shepherd RC Primary School · London
Schools hiring early years educators
Ranked by live vacancy volume. We do not publish employer-level pay figures.
Where early years educators are being advertised
Areas with the most live early years educator vacancies.
Similar roles to Early Years Educator
Apprentice Early Years Practitioner
See apprentice early years practitioner salary guide
Assistant Nursery Manager
See assistant nursery manager salary guide
Deputy Nursery Manager
See deputy nursery manager salary guide
Early Years Apprentice
See early years apprentice salary guide
Early Years Lead
See early years lead salary guide
Early Years Phase Leader
See early years phase leader salary guide
Career advice for early years educator roles
Frequently asked questions
How much does an early years educator earn?
We do not yet hold enough verified salary evidence to publish a early years educator figure. Rather than estimate, we show live vacancies so you can see what employers are actually advertising.
Does early years educator pay vary by area?
It can, but we only publish area differences where we have enough evidence for that area — we never apply a regional multiplier to invent a local figure.
What pay framework applies to a early years educator?
There is no single pay framework that generally applies to this role: pay depends on the employer, the contract and the nation. Use the advertised salary evidence on this page and check the individual advert.
Find your next early years educator job
Live UK early years educator vacancies from schools, trusts and agencies.
Browse Early Years Educator jobs