Teacher salaries are agreed nationally, this includes the Main Pay Scale, Leadership payscales and the Upper Pay Scale. UPS (as it is commonly known) is generally reserved for those that are currently at M6 and are able to demonstrate sustained and exemplary meeting of Teachers’ Standards and make a significant contribution to school life. You can apply for UPS once per year and your case would be reviewed by the Senior Leadership and Governors. The Upper Pay Scale is a good way to retain teachers who haven’t been able to progress into Leadership roles yet. It is worth noting that you are likely to remain at each UPS salary point for 2-years and progress through the spine isn’t as linear as the Main Pay Scale; you really have to continue to demonstrate how you are going ‘above & beyond’ in fulfilling your role. If you intend to apply for UPS make sure you ask early in the Performance Management process, ideally an academic year in advance; this gives time to make sure there is a ‘bigger role’ for you to fulfill and any time-consuming application process can be managed more effectively.
Upper Pay Scale for UK Schools (UPS)
| Outside London | London Fringe | Outer London | Inner London | |
| U1 | £37,654 | £38,797 | £41,419 | £45,713 |
| U2 | £39,050 | £40,189 | £42,951 | £47,960 |
| U3 | £40,490 | £41,635 | £44,541 | £49,571 |
The Leadership Pay Scale has some cross-over with UPS, if you are fulfilling a particularly large role it might be worth negotiating movement on to the Leadership scale.
Leave a Reply