Male primary teacher numbers soar

16 July 2012

The percentage of male trainee primary school teachers in England has gone up considerably over the past four years, according to statistics from the Teaching Agency (TA), a division of the Department for Education.

The number of men choosing a career in primary teaching increased by 51 per cent, five times faster than the number of women.

The TA figures showed that 3,743 men trained in this sector in 2011/12 compared with 2,467 in 2008/9. In 2011, data revealed that 25 per cent of primary schools in England – 4,278 out of 16,971 – didn't have any male teachers.

The TA's interim chief executive Lin Hinnigan said: "Primary teaching is increasingly a career for the most able graduates. It offers the opportunity to earn a good salary and progress quickly."

Referring to the lack of male teachers, she said:: "It's partly that other men don't do it and you think you will be in an entirely female staffroom. Also, looking after young children, traditionally, has been seen as a job for women. It's trying to break through that."

Hinnigan added that there has "never been a better time to join the profession".