Different Teaching Roles in UK Schools

Teaching roles in UK schools cover far more than the classroom teacher. According to DfE School Workforce data for 2024, 985,800 FTE staff work in state-funded schools in England, with teachers making up 48% of that total. The other half comprises a wide range of support, specialist, and leadership roles that are equally essential to how schools function.

Whether you are entering the profession, considering a change of direction, or exploring which role suits your skills and qualifications, this guide sets out the main teaching roles available across UK educational settings.

Classroom teachers are the core of any school’s workforce. In maintained schools, QTS is a legal requirement. Primary teachers are generalists, teaching the full curriculum to a single class, while secondary teachers are subject specialists, delivering one or two subjects across multiple year groups.

Both phases follow the same STPCD pay scale, from M1 through to the Upper Pay Range for experienced teachers who meet the threshold criteria.

Teaching assistants (TAs) work alongside classroom teachers to support learner progress. The role varies widely across settings, covering whole-class support, small group work, and one-to-one intervention.

No mandatory qualification is required, though most settings expect relevant experience and many prefer Level 2 or Level 3 qualifications in supporting teaching and learning. It is one of the most common entry points into school-based work.

Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) have been assessed against the national HLTA Standards and can lead whole-class learning independently. The role carries significantly more responsibility than a standard TA and is typically paid at a higher rate.

HLTA status requires demonstrated experience, headteacher endorsement, and evidence of Level 2 English and maths. HLTAs are particularly valued in supply and temporary cover arrangements where a setting needs more than supervision but does not require a qualified teacher.

Cover supervisors manage a class during a teacher’s short-term absence. The role is explicitly non-teaching: cover supervisors deliver pre-set work and maintain order but are not responsible for planning, assessing, or teaching in the professional sense.

QTS is not required. Settings typically look for a degree-level education, experience in a school environment, and strong behaviour management skills. It is a common route into school-based work for those considering a teaching qualification.

Demand for SEND-experienced professionals across supply and permanent roles is consistently high, and specialist qualifications carry significant weight in the recruitment market.

Early years roles cover provision for children from birth to age five, including private nurseries, preschools, children’s centres, and Reception classes in primary schools.

Nursery teachers in maintained schools require QTS. Early Years Teachers hold Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS), which is distinct from QTS and awarded through Early Years ITT. Practitioners and room leaders in private settings typically require Level 2 or Level 3 childcare qualifications.

Beyond the classroom, schools employ a range of leadership and pastoral professionals.

Middle leaders, including heads of department, phase leads, and heads of year, take on curriculum or pastoral responsibility alongside a teaching timetable and receive TLR payments for doing so. Senior leaders, including assistant headteachers, deputy headteachers, and headteachers, are paid on the STPCD leadership pay range. Pastoral staff, DSLs, and attendance officers focus on learner welfare, safeguarding, and community engagement.

Flexzo Teach connects education professionals across all these role types directly with educational settings, without an agency intermediary. Whether you are a teaching assistant looking for consistent supply work or a specialist SEND practitioner seeking a long-term placement, you set your availability and rate, and settings contact you directly.