School business manager (SBM) pay

There's no national pay scale for SBMs. Make sure you know who's responsible for setting their pay in your school, find information about average salaries, and see what you should consider when discussing your SBM's salary.

Last reviewed on 26 June 2026
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 4888
Contents
  1. Pay is determined locally
  2. Average salaries
  3. Figuring out a salary
  4. Pay for SBMs on the SLT
  5. Review the SBM's pay regularly

Pay is determined locally

There isn't a national pay scale for support staff, including SBMs. Instead, it’s the employer’s responsibility to agree pay and progression based on a range of factors.

Your employer depends on your school type

Community or voluntary-controlled (VC) schools:

  • Your local authority (LA) is the legal employer, so pay is typically set by the LA’s pay grades
  • Pay usually follows National Joint Council (NJC) scales, to help ensure fair pay across similar roles and help protect the school against discrimination claims
  • Your main input will be using the role's specific responsibilities to decide where the SBM fits within these existing LA bands (explained below)
  • If you disagree with the LA's grading, there is usually an appeal process, and you'll likely need to amend the SBM's job description to prove the role falls outside the scope of a standard SBM (read more on this below)

Your governing board acts as the employer and