Headteacher Reduced/Compressed Hours Calculator

Looking at a 4-day week, 9-day fortnight, term-time only or annualised hours? This calculator shows how your pay would look for a Headteacher under different reduced or compressed patterns compared to full-time. Compare FTE and annual pay so you can weigh up options.

Assumptions and pay data

Pay data: School Teachers' Pay (England). Main (M1–M6) and Upper (U1–U3) are statutory rest-of-England points from STPCD 2025/26. Leading Practitioner uses published min–max; spine points are evenly spaced within that range (schools may set different points inside the range). Leadership uses statutory L1 minimum and L43 maximum; intermediate points are linearly interpolated for the calculator (actual L2–L42 are in STPCD). Allowances: London uplifts auto-switch by band (M1 / U1 / L1 / LP min vs zonal STPCD 2025/26); TLR and SEN as statutory ranges (see _meta.allowancesFootnote). Support: NJC SCP 5–12; STPCD zonal uplifts do not apply. Schools may use other SCP ranges.

Figures are illustrative. We pro-rate full-time band pay by FTE (e.g. 0.8 for 4-day week, 0.9 for 9-day fortnight). Term-time and annualised hours use the same dataset; employer rules may differ.
All amounts are gross. Tax, NI and pension are not deducted.

Reduced/Compressed Hours Calculator

You'll see:

Full-time pay vs your chosen pattern (e.g. 4-day week, term-time)
Pro-rated annual pay and the difference

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Frequently asked questions

About this role

What is a Headteacher?

A Headteacher leads a school, with responsibility for standards, staff and pupils. Pay is on the leadership spine and varies by school size and phase.

Typical demands, progression and balance

Headteachers carry statutory and employer accountability for standards, safeguarding and budgets; intensity, hours and term-time rhythm vary widely by school size, phase and governance (maintained school, academy or trust). Pay in England is usually set under STPCD leadership ranges but your governing body or trust determines specifics. Some people progress to executive headship or trust roles; others move into consultancy, inspection-related work or different sectors. There is no single "right" path.

What about 4-day weeks or compressed hours?

Many employers support 4-day weeks, 9-day fortnights, term-time only or annualised hours. Use the calculator above to compare full-time pay with your chosen pattern for your band.

Disclaimer

This calculator provides illustrative estimates only and is not financial or career advice. Pay rules and allowances can change. Always check your employer or official sources for definitive figures.