More than one in four state primary schools in England have no male teachers

last updated:25 Sep 2009

Latest findings from the General Teaching Council of England (GTC) show that teaching remains a predominantly female profession and that more than one in four (27 per cent) state primary schools in England have no registered male teachers.

Figures from the Register illustrate that only 25% of registered in-service teachers are men, with the majority of these working in secondary schools and further education.

The proportion of men in teaching varies significantly by phase but the figures show that male teachers make up just 13% of registered primary teachers and 3% of registered nursery school staff.  

Only two men under the age of 25 work in state-run nurseries in England, according to the Register.

Jamie Wilson (22) is a male nursery teacher working in Merseyside.  He believes that young children benefit from being taught by male as well as female teachers and has been involved in a project with Edge Hill University in order to raise awareness of the need for more men in early years and primary teaching.

He said, “There is no doubt that there is an acute lack of male teachers throughout our profession and, with this in mind, I strive to give the children within my care the highest quality learning experiences, environments and opportunities that I can offer.

'Personally, I am firmly of the belief that gender should not be an issue when it comes to early years and primary teachers.  Why should it matter?

'However, I have found that it has been an issue in my own experience.  Even within my first week at the Children’s Centre I encountered anxiety from a parent who was reluctant to leave their three-year-old within my care purely because I am a male within a female-dominated environment.  Now, one year on, the parent and I have a very positive relationship.

'Male teachers should not be regarded as stereotypical ‘disciplinarians’ but equally with women teachers – as carers and as facilitators of teaching and learning.

'Young children have the right and the entitlement to be cared for, taught and nurtured within an equal and multi-cultural environment.'

The General Teaching Council statistics show that, across the country, there are 43 men working in state nurseries, down on last year’s figure of 56.  The number of males under the age of twenty-five in state nurseries fell from eight in 2004, to six in 2005, to one in 2006 – and zero in 2007 and 2008. Some men are employed in private nurseries but are still vastly outnumbered.

GTC Chief Executive Keith Bartley said, 'We should focus on attracting the best recruits to teaching – regardless of their gender.  If men do not believe that teaching is a worthwhile career option for them, or worse still, if their interest in teaching is viewed with suspicion, then children potentially miss out on a huge pool of talent.

'The GTC register gives a unique and authoritative picture of the teaching workforce.  It shows that overall, the number of teachers is continuing to grow and that there is an even spread between the three main age groups, under 35, 35 to 50 and over 50.  Three quarters of teachers still follow traditional, college based routes into teaching and the proportion of new entrants from minority ethnic communities has risen from 5.3 per cent in 2002 to 9.1 per cent in 2008.”

Teaching workforce continues to 'get younger'
The annual digest also shows that the age profile of the teaching profession is continuing to fall.  There has been a five per cent increase in teachers in service who are aged 39 and under since 2006.  It also shows a seven per cent drop in teachers in service aged 45 to 59 in the same period.
                      
Statistics in the seventh digest show that the proportion of younger people qualifying to teach is gradually increasing.  According to the figures 39% of Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) in 2008 were under 25.  This figure is six per cent more than in 2006.  A further 31 per cent of NQTs are aged 25 to 29.