Discipline fears raised by lack of male teachers

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/discipline-fears-raised-by-lack-of-male-teachers-459662.html

More than a million pupils in primary schools have no men teaching them. In
addition, nearly 300,000 will end their six years of primary schooling
without being taught by a male teacher.


Research published today suggests more male teachers would improve
discipline. A survey of boys aged five to 11 found 51 per cent believed the
presence of a male teacher would make them behave better. Forty-two per cent
said it would make them work harder.

The Teaching and Development Agency for Schools (TDAS), which is responsible
for teacher recruitment, is stepping up its efforts to recruit male
teachers. Many potential recruits, it believes, may be put off by what they
perceive to be the low salary levels offered to teachers. In addition,
teachers' leaders have warned that some may fear false abuse allegations if
they are seen to comfort a pupil.

But potential male recruits also tend to put in late applications for
training courses and fail to take as much trouble with their CVs as women.
Primary school teaching is still a popular career option and most courses
are oversubscribed. So the agency is giving grants to teacher training
organisers to help potential male recruits to "go the extra mile" and take
more care over their applications.

Graham Holley, the chief executive of TDAS, said: "We need more men primary
school teachers so that teaching is more representative of society as a
whole. Teaching should be as diverse as the rest of the population. Second,
if we're not attracting sufficient numbers of men we're not attracting all
the talent.

"Third, if you've got more men in the primary classroom they can act as
social role models for young boys. That's particularly necessary in inner
cities where there are more children from one-parent families who may have
no male role model at home."

Figures show that a television recruitment drive has been successful.
Applications from men to primary teaching courses have risen from 1,500 in
2001-2 to 2,300 by 2005-6 (14 per cent of all applications). This year the
final figure is likely to rise to 19 per cent. But that still leaves men
making up only 16 per cent of the profession, with two out of five pupils
(1.4million) currently not being taught by a man and one in 12 (290,000)
never likely to encounter a male teacher throughout their six years of
primary schooling.

"We have begun to stress the career prospects in adverts," said Mr Holley.
"For instance, do potential recruits realise there are five times as many
primary as secondary schools - so they are five times more likely to make it
to headship.

"Also, when we tell them the salaries that are on offer now, we tend to find
they have underestimated them." Currently a primary teacher can earn up to
£41,004 by staying in the classroom.

"The number of men applying for primary school training courses is
increasing but not quickly enough," said Mr Holley."I would encourage men
who are interested in teaching to make the strongest application possible.
This will often mean getting work experience in schools or working with
young people."

It may help would-be male applicants to realise the boys want them there.
The study found three-quarters of boys between eight and 11 were in favour
of schools having teachers of both genders; 48 per cent believed that men
set good examples for them in particular and 28 per cent thought male
teachers understood them better.

'A lot of the boys were better behaved'

Ben Park, pupil, 11

Until his last year at All Saints' School, Cricklewood, north-west London,
Ben had never come into contact with a male teacher.

"It did help us concentrate more," he said. "The girls didn't seem to mind
whether they had a man or a woman teacher. But all of us liked him. He was
the only male teacher in the school. He was, like, acting a bit more and
he'd do experiments in science lessons - which were fun.

"A lot of the boys in my class were better behaved and, yes, I think I did
work harder."


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