Salary guide
Nursery Manager salary
What nursery managers 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
£24,563 per year – £26,312 per year
Median advertised range for Early Years Practitioner roles in England
Based on Early Years Practitioner adverts
We don't yet have enough Nursery Manager adverts with pay to publish a figure of their own, so this shows the closest main role. Based on 11 live public vacancies. Support-staff pay is set locally, so individual adverts vary.
See the Early Years Practitioner salary guideNursery Manager job openings
Preschool Manager
Weare Academy First School · Axbridge
Pre-School Lead
St Christopher's CEVCP School · Bury St Edmunds
Nursery Manager
Farnham Primary School · Bradford
Nursery Room Lead - 2 Years Old
Southbroom Infants' School · Devizes
Pre-School Leader
St Alban's Catholic Academy · Harlow
Nursery Manager
St Mary's Church of England School · Aylesbury
Schools hiring nursery managers
Ranked by live vacancy volume. We do not publish employer-level pay figures.
Where nursery managers are being advertised
Areas with the most live nursery manager vacancies.
Similar roles to Nursery Manager
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 Educator
See early years educator salary guide
Early Years Lead
See early years lead salary guide
Career advice for nursery manager roles
Frequently asked questions
How much does a nursery manager earn?
We do not yet hold enough verified salary evidence to publish a nursery manager figure. Rather than estimate, we show live vacancies so you can see what employers are actually advertising.
Does nursery manager 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 nursery manager?
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 nursery manager job
Live UK nursery manager vacancies from schools, trusts and agencies.
Browse Nursery Manager jobs