Is a lack of male primary teachers a problem for students or schools?
The lack of positive role models in primary schools is becoming a worry as one in four still have no male teacher, the equivalent to nearly a million primary school children not having a male teacher. Statistics from the Department of Education show 26% of teachers in England are men - accounting for 38% of secondary and 15% of primary school teachers. Despite Government efforts to get male teachers into the workforce, women still dominate the force. There were 31,600 male primary teachers at the last count, compared to 151,200 females – one man for every six women in the role. That rises to one man for every four women in headteacher roles. And there were 3,727 primary schools in England without any male teachers at all, up from 3,680 in 2014.
At such a young age boys often fall behind and find it hard to catch up and the imbalance of male staff could be to blame. Dr Martin Robb, senior lecturer with The Open University, said: “It’s important to have a gender balanced workforce for all kinds of reasons, but the gender of the worker isn’t actually the most important thing for boys.” “And other factors - such as personal qualities of consistency, care, respect, etc - are deemed to be much more significant by boys themselves. “A range of commentators has argued that the absence of fathers and the allied absence of male role models from the lives of many young men are key factors in their involvement in crime and in educational under-achievement.” “But consistent carers are more important than male models for boys.”
Top 10 areas with no male teachers
- North Yorkshire
- Derbyshire
- Hampshire
- Lancashire
- Essex
- Hertfordshire
- Cumbria
- Norfolk
- Surrey
- Staffordshire
The Department for Education said: “Our priority is getting the brightest and best teachers into classrooms, including male staff of all levels.” “That is why we are spending millions of pounds on recruiting high-quality teachers.” "We can be proud of the fact that teaching is an increasingly popular profession, with more young men and women embracing the opportunity to inspire and shape the lives of the next generation."
