Male headteachers almost three times more likely to be paid six-figure salaries than women, DfE data show

Male headteachers are almost three times more likely to be paid six-figure salaries than women, and the gender gap for school leader pay appears greater in the academies sector, exclusive new analysis of DfE pay data by Education Uncovered has revealed.

Overall, more than one in eight of England’s male headteachers – 12.7 per cent – were paid £100,000 or more in 2019-20. But, among women, the figure was only 4.5 per cent. This translates to one six-figure earner for every 22 female school leaders.

The disparity is only partially explained by the greater proportion of men leading secondary schools, where schools are of course larger, and where headteacher salaries are therefore in general higher than in the primary sector.

For, considering like-for-like comparisons within the secondary and primary sectors, male secondary headteachers are more likely to be on six-figure salaries than their female counterparts. A gender pay gap is also found in the primary sector.

Among male secondary headteachers, nearly one in three – 761 out of 2,338, or 32.5 per cent – were paid £100,000 or more in 2019-20.