Paedophile fears are 'driving male teachers from primary schools'

More than a quarter of state primary schools have no male teachers, partly because they have been deterred from working with young children for fear of being labelled paedophiles, an expert claims.

The result is that thousands of boys are being taught solely by women and have no educational male role models.

The trend is fuelling concerns that a generation of boys is growing up without an authoritative male figure in their lives.

Endangered species: Just 25 per cent of registered working teachers in the UK are men

Teaching remains a predominantly female profession, data published today by the General Teaching Council of England confirms.

Only 123,827, or 25 per cent, of the 490,981 registered working teachers are men, with the majority in secondary schools and further education.



Male teachers make up just 13 per cent of state primary teachers (25,491) and three per cent of state nursery school staff (43). Of 16,892 state primary schools in England, 4,550 have no male teachers - around 27 per cent.



Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Buckingham University, said the figures were concerning.

'It's a sad comment on society that more men aren't attracted into teaching in primary schools. In part, this is due to concerns in society about paedophilia. Men are receiving the signal that it's more appropriate for them to teach in secondary schools than primary schools.'

The 'feminisation' of the curriculum, which includes an emphasis on coursework rather than 'sudden death' exams, is already believed to be responsible for a widening gender gap at secondary level.

Professor Smithers said: 'There's a danger that boys could grow up thinking that education is sissy.

'When it comes to reading, they might be offered what appeals to the female teachers whereas male teachers often have different interests in reading.

'Similarly, in interpreting what's been read, there are distinct male and female points of view. Both these views need to be offered to boys.'

GTC chief executive Keith Bartley said: 'We should focus on attracting the best recruits to teaching, regardless of 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.'

Only two men under the age of 25 work in state-run nurseries in England, according to the GTC register. One of them, 22-year-old Jamie Wilson, from Merseyside, insists that children need to be taught by male and female teachers.

He said: '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 I encountered anxiety from a parent who was reluctant to leave their three-year-old in my care because I am a male in a female-dominated environment.'



● Schools are facing a leadership crisis, with one in four primaries struggling to find a head teacher.



Thousands of positions are empty despite the recession due to higher workloads and rising numbers of early retirements.



About 3,000 schools advertised for a head teacher between September 2008 and May 2009, according to Education Data Surveys. Some 26 per cent of primary, 19 per cent of secondary and 27 per cent of special school head teacher vacancies were still unfilled after the posts were advertised for the first time.



Primary schools received an average of just five applications.