Yes, many permanent and salaried teachers in the UK continue to receive their normal salary during the summer holidays, including July and August, provided their employment contract remains in force.
However, this does not mean every teacher receives a separate six-week summer holiday payment. The position depends on the teacher’s contract, employment status and the part of the UK in which they work.
For many permanent teachers, annual salary is paid in regular monthly instalments throughout the year. Supply teachers and some fixed-term teachers can be different because their income may depend on days worked or the date their contract ends.
This distinction is important when asking do teachers get paid during the summer, as receiving an August salary payment is not necessarily the same as being given six additional weeks of paid annual leave.
What Has Changed for Teacher Pay From 2025 to 2026?
Teacher salary levels in England are changing again for the 2026/27 academic year, although the change does not create a new summer holiday payment.
The Government accepted a 3.5% teacher pay increase from September 2026, following the 4% rise introduced from September 2025. A further 3% increase has also been announced for September 2027.
As of 21 August 2026, the Government has accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body recommendation, but the statutory consultation process for the updated 2026 pay and conditions document is still running. The new rates are intended to apply from 1 September 2026.
| Teacher Pay Area | 2025/26 Position | 2026/27 Position | Difference |
| Headline England pay uplift | 4% from September 2025 | 3.5% from September 2026 | 0.5 percentage points lower |
| Main pay range minimum outside London | £32,916 | Proposed £34,069 | Around £1,153 higher |
| Upper pay range maximum outside London | £51,048 | Proposed £52,835 | Around £1,787 higher |
| Future pay settlement | Annual 2025 award | Further 3% announced for September 2027 | More forward visibility |
| Summer pay principle | Based on contract and employment status | Still based on contract and employment status | No universal new summer payment |
The Government has also announced £1.8 billion of additional school funding over two years alongside the 2026 and 2027 teacher pay settlement. Schools are expected to find the first 1% of each award through their existing budgets and efficiencies.
These changes affect salary levels, not the basic contractual question of whether teachers are paid during the summer holidays.
2026 Teacher Pay Updates and Announcements
The main teacher pay announcement for 2026 was made on 1 July 2026.
The Government accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body recommendations for teachers and school leaders in England, including:
- 3.5% Pay Increase From 1 September 2026
- 3% Further Increase From 1 September 2027
- £1.8 Billion Additional Funding For schools over two years
- Higher Teacher Salary Levels From the beginning of the 2026/27 academic year
- Continued Separate Arrangements For academies that do not automatically follow maintained-school pay arrangements
The 2026 announcement therefore increases what many teachers will earn from September, but it does not introduce a new rule stating that every teacher must receive pay throughout the summer.
Teachers should also distinguish their pay award from negotiations affecting other school employees. The position for classroom assistants, administrative employees and other staff is in the latest school support staff pay rise 2026 update.
How Does Teacher Pay Work During the School Year?
Most permanent teachers do not receive a separate payment for each individual classroom day. Instead, they are employed under a contract carrying an annual salary.
For teachers in maintained schools in England who fall under the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document, a full-time classroom teacher is normally required to be available for 195 days during the school year.
That includes:
- 190 Days When the teacher may be required to teach pupils and undertake other duties
- 5 Additional Days For duties such as training or professional development
- Up To 1,265 Directed Hours For full-time teachers covered by the relevant working-time provisions
- Additional Reasonable Professional Work Such as lesson planning, assessment and preparation where required
The 1,265-hour provision does not apply identically to every teaching role, particularly certain leadership positions.
School closure days therefore should not automatically be treated as ordinary annual leave in the same way as a standard office employee taking booked holiday.
Are Teachers Paid for the Six-Week Summer Holiday?
For many permanent teachers, salary continues to be paid during the six-week summer break because their employment and annual salary continue through that period.
Government guidance on term-time workers also recognises that a permanent employee can receive their normal rate throughout non-working weeks, including school holidays.
However, there is an important difference between receiving salary during the summer and being paid an additional six weeks of holiday pay.
A permanent teacher may receive the same monthly salary in August as in May even though pupils are not attending school. The payment forms part of the contractual salary arrangement rather than being a special summer bonus.
It is therefore misleading to claim that all UK teachers simply work ten months and are then given two months of extra paid holiday. Contracts and employment structures vary.
Do Teachers Get Paid in July and August in the UK?
Permanent teachers with continuing salaried contracts will commonly receive their normal salary payments in both July and August.
The school finishing for pupils does not necessarily end the teacher’s employment.
A contract can continue after the final pupil day of the summer term and through to the next academic year. This is one reason a teacher may receive an August salary despite not teaching normal lessons during that month.
The answer changes when the teacher’s contract ends.
What Happens if a Teacher’s Contract Ends in July?
A teacher employed on a fixed-term or temporary contract should check the exact contractual end date.
If employment ends in July, there should be no assumption that the employee will automatically receive a normal August salary simply because other teachers at the school do.
The final payment may depend on:
- The Contractual Termination Date
- The Employer’s Payroll Schedule
- Salary Already Earned
- Any Outstanding Contractual Entitlements
- Whether Another Contract Continues Into August
A contract ending on 31 August is materially different from one ending on 31 July.
Do Permanent Teachers Get Paid During School Holidays?
Permanent teachers on continuing annual salaried contracts will generally continue receiving salary during normal school closure periods.
That can include:
- Summer Holidays
- Christmas Holidays
- Easter Holidays
- Half-Term Breaks
This does not mean that every day when pupils are absent should automatically be classified as a teacher’s statutory annual leave.
School calendars also include inset or training days when pupils are absent but teaching staff may still be working.
The distinction becomes particularly clear around Easter, when term dates, bank holidays and inset arrangements can combine. The published Easter school holiday dates for 2026 show how school closure dates and staff working arrangements are not always identical.
Do Supply Teachers Get Paid During the Summer Holidays?
Supply teachers can have very different arrangements from permanent salaried teachers.
Some are employed directly by a school or local authority, while others work through employment agencies. Their pay can be calculated using daily rates rather than a continuous annual salary.
A supply teacher who is only paid for assignments completed during term time may therefore have little or no regular teaching income during the summer break.
| Teacher Type | Regular Summer Salary Usually Continues? | Typical Pay Basis | Main Point to Check |
| Permanent salaried teacher | Usually, if employment continues | Annual salary | Employment contract |
| Fixed-term teacher | Depends | Annual or contractual salary | Contract end date |
| Agency supply teacher | Not necessarily | Daily or assignment rate | Agency agreement |
| Directly employed supply teacher | Depends | Employer-specific arrangement | Contract and payroll terms |
| Part-time salaried teacher | Often, if continuing contract applies | Pro-rata annual salary | Contracted salary and hours |
Do Supply Teachers Receive Holiday Pay?
Supply teachers may still have holiday-pay rights, but the way the payment appears can differ.
For qualifying irregular-hours and part-year workers, employers can use rolled-up holiday pay. Under this arrangement, holiday pay is added to normal earnings rather than being paid only when leave is taken.
Current Acas guidance on rolled-up holiday pay states that, where this system is used for eligible workers, the amount must be at least 12.07% of total pay for the relevant pay period and should appear separately on the payslip.
This can mean a supply teacher has already received holiday pay alongside earnings during term time and does not receive a normal salary when there are no summer assignments.
Teachers working through agencies should therefore check their payslips instead of assuming that the absence of an August wage means no holiday pay has been provided.
Do Fixed-Term Teachers Get Paid Over the Summer?
A fixed-term teacher can receive salary during the summer if the employment contract continues through that period.
The key factor is the contract end date, not the date on which pupils finish lessons.
For example, a temporary appointment running from 1 September to 31 August remains in force throughout August. A contract finishing at the end of July creates a different position.
Temporary teachers should therefore check the written dates in their contract before planning around an expected summer salary.
Do Part-Time Teachers Get Paid During School Holidays?
Part-time teachers can also receive salary during school holidays when they hold continuing salaried contracts.
Their annual pay is normally calculated on a pro-rata basis according to the terms of employment.
Being part time does not automatically mean being term-time only.
Those descriptions refer to different aspects of employment. A part-time teacher may have an annual salaried contract, while another school employee may work full working days during term time but be employed under a term-time-only arrangement.
Teachers vs Teaching Assistants and Other Term-Time School Staff
Teachers should not be grouped automatically with teaching assistants, cleaners, administrators or other school support workers when discussing summer pay.
Many school support staff are employed under local-government or Green Book arrangements rather than teacher pay conditions.
The ongoing NJC pay award 2026/27 position affects many council and school support employees but does not determine the national teacher pay award.
Similarly, the current teaching assistant pay rise position for 2026 involves a different pay framework from that applying to many classroom teachers.
| Employment Group | Common Pay Structure | Summer Position |
| Permanent classroom teacher | Annual teacher salary | Salary commonly continues where the contract remains active |
| Teaching assistant | Often NJC or local arrangement | Depends on term-time and annualised-pay terms |
| School administrator | Contract-specific | May be term-time, full-year or annualised |
| Caretaker or support employee | Often local authority or academy terms | Depends on contractual working weeks |
| Supply teacher | Often daily or assignment based | Regular income may stop when assignments stop |
This is also why developments in the local government pay rise for 2026/27 should not be assumed to apply automatically to teachers.
What Does Teacher Pay Look Like in Preston and Lancashire?
Teachers working in Preston and most of Lancashire fall within the England excluding London teacher pay area when the national maintained-school framework applies.
Under the 2025/26 pay structure, the minimum of the qualified teacher main pay range outside London is £32,916.
Following the Government’s accepted 3.5% recommendation for September 2026, the proposed minimum is around £34,069, with higher advisory points increasing accordingly.
For Preston teachers, the summer-pay question is separate from the size of that pay rise.
Lancashire County Council’s calendar states that the 2025/26 summer term ended on Monday 20 July 2026, while the 2026/27 autumn term begins on Tuesday 1 September 2026. The council records 195 school openings in each academic year.
The gap between 20 July and 1 September does not automatically mean a permanent Preston teacher receives no salary during that period. A continuing annual contract can remain in force even though pupils are away from school.
Local teachers moving between jobs should pay particular attention to whether their existing appointment ends in July or August because that date can determine whether normal salary continues.
Are Teacher Summer Pay Rules the Same Across the UK?
No. Education and teacher pay are devolved, so England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland do not operate one identical teacher-pay framework.
| UK Nation | Broad Position |
| England | Maintained-school teachers are generally covered by the statutory teacher pay and conditions framework |
| Wales | Teacher pay and conditions operate under a devolved Welsh framework |
| Scotland | National conditions distinguish annual leave from school closure days |
| Northern Ireland | Permanent and substitute teacher arrangements can differ, including different payment structures for substitute work |
The phrase teacher holiday pay UK therefore covers several employment systems.
A teacher should check the rules applying in the nation where they are employed rather than applying an English salary arrangement automatically across the whole UK.
Do Academy Teachers Get Paid During the Summer?
Academy teachers can receive salary throughout the summer, but an academy’s employment arrangements should be checked individually.
Academies in England have greater freedom over pay and contractual arrangements than maintained schools and are not automatically required to use every part of the maintained-school pay framework.
Many academy trusts nevertheless use structures similar to national teacher pay arrangements.
The Government’s teacher pay calculator also notes that academies may choose to follow the 2026 teacher pay award.
A teacher in an academy should therefore check the trust’s pay policy and individual contract rather than assuming that another school’s arrangement applies.
Do Private-School Teachers Get Paid During Summer?
Many private-school teachers are also employed on annual salaries and may continue receiving monthly payments throughout the summer.
However, independent schools set their own contractual terms.
The important questions are the same:
- Is The Teacher Employed Throughout The Year?
- What Is The Contract End Date?
- Is Salary Paid Monthly?
- Does The School Use A Different Holiday Arrangement?
An independent-school teacher should rely on the employment contract rather than national maintained-school conditions when establishing entitlement.
What Should Teachers Check Before the Summer Holidays?
A teacher who is uncertain about July or August pay should check the contractual position before the end of term.
- Check The Employment Contract For the official start and end dates
- Check The Salary Basis To establish whether pay is annual, daily or assignment based
- Review July And August Payroll Dates Particularly when changing employers
- Check The Payslip For separately identified holiday pay
- Confirm Fixed-Term Dates Rather than relying on the final pupil day
- Review Agency Terms If working as a supply teacher
- Contact Payroll Or HR Where the written terms do not make the position clear
For supply teachers and irregular-hours workers, the method used to calculate holiday entitlement can have a significant effect on when holiday-related payments actually appear.
Conclusion: Do Teachers Get Paid During the Summer?
So, do teachers get paid during the summer in the UK? For many permanent salaried teachers, the answer is yes. If their employment contract continues through July and August, regular salary payments will normally continue even though pupils are on their summer holidays.
That should not be confused with receiving six weeks of additional paid holiday. Teacher salary, statutory holiday entitlement, school closure periods and contractual employment dates are related but separate issues.
Supply teachers may not receive regular income when there are no teaching assignments, while fixed-term teachers need to check whether their contracts end in July, August or another month.
For teachers in Preston and Lancashire, the 2026 pay changes also mean higher salary rates are expected from September 2026 under the England pay framework. The Government has accepted a 3.5% increase, following the 4% award introduced in September 2025.
Ultimately, the employment contract remains the most reliable way to determine whether an individual teacher will receive salary during the summer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Teachers Get Paid for the Six-Week Summer Holiday in the UK?
Many permanent salaried teachers continue to receive their normal salary during the six-week summer holiday when their employment contract remains active. This is normally part of their annual salary arrangement rather than an extra six-week payment.
Do Teachers Get Paid in July and August?
Permanent teachers with continuing annual contracts commonly receive salary in both July and August. Fixed-term or temporary teachers should check their contract end date because an appointment ending in July may change the position.
Do Teachers Get Paid Every Month of the Year in the UK?
Many permanent teachers are paid monthly throughout the year. However, not every teacher has the same arrangement. Supply teachers, temporary teachers and some workers on different contracts may only be paid for certain working periods.
Do Supply Teachers Get Paid During the Summer Holidays?
Not necessarily. Supply teachers paid by the day or by individual assignments may receive little or no normal teaching income during the summer because there are no assignments. Holiday pay may be dealt with separately or rolled into eligible workers’ earnings.
Do Teachers Get Paid During Christmas and Easter Holidays?
Teachers on continuing permanent annual contracts will generally continue receiving their normal salary during Christmas and Easter school closures. Exact contractual arrangements can vary between employers.
What Happens to Teacher Pay if a Contract Ends in July?
If a teacher’s employment contract finishes in July, they should not assume that a normal August salary will follow. Final pay depends on the contract end date, payroll arrangements and any remaining contractual entitlement.
Do Part-Time Teachers Get Paid During School Holidays?
Part-time salaried teachers can continue receiving pay during school holidays if their annual employment remains active. Their salary is generally calculated proportionately according to their contractual working arrangements.
