Salary guide
Play Worker salary
What play workers 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
£16,397 per year – £22,320 per year
Median advertised range for Playworker roles in England
Based on Playworker adverts
We don't yet have enough Play Worker adverts with pay to publish a figure of their own, so this shows the closest main role. Based on 10 live public vacancies. Support-staff pay is set locally, so individual adverts vary.
See the Playworker salary guidePlay Worker job openings
Lunchtime Play Worker - Dunraven Primary Phase
Dunraven School · LONDON
Play Worker
Moorhill Primary School · Cannock
After School Play worker
St Anselm's Catholic Primary School · Harrow
Wrap around Play Worker
Wellesbourne CofE Primary School · Warwick
Breakfast Club Play Worker
Brook House Primary School · London
Breakfast Club Play Worker
Sherford Vale School & Nursery · Sherford
Schools hiring play workers
Ranked by live vacancy volume. We do not publish employer-level pay figures.
Where play workers are being advertised
Areas with the most live play worker vacancies.
Similar roles to Play Worker
Academy Trustee
See academy trustee salary guide
Access Arrangements Assessor
See access arrangements assessor salary guide
Access Arrangements Coordinator
See access arrangements coordinator salary guide
Accounts Assistant
See accounts assistant salary guide
Activities Coordinator
See activities coordinator salary guide
Admin Assistant
Local-government support-staff pay structures (England and Wales)
See admin assistant salary guide
Career advice for play worker roles
Frequently asked questions
How much does a play worker earn?
We do not yet hold enough verified salary evidence to publish a play worker figure. Rather than estimate, we show live vacancies so you can see what employers are actually advertising.
Does play worker 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 play worker?
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 play worker job
Live UK play worker vacancies from schools, trusts and agencies.
Browse Play Worker jobs