‘Women teachers failing to take up challenge of running schools’
ONLY 38 per cent of headteachers at state secondary schools in England are women despite the majority of teachers at those schools being female, according to new research.
The Oxford Open Learning Trust analysed official statistics from the Department for Education, which show that 63 per cent of all teaching staff in English state-funded secondary schools are female – including headteachers.
Despite this, just 1,400 of England’s 3,700 state secondary schools and academies are headed by women, the research by the distance learning provider revealed.
The data showed that primary state schools, both local-authority-maintained and academies, have many more women at the helm with 73 per cent – though the primary school teaching workforce is 85 per cent female.
Brian Crosby, CEO of the Hope Learning Trust, which runs six primary and secondary schools in York, said: “It is a waste of our most valuable resource not to see female colleagues develop into leadership at a rate comparable with male colleagues. In Hope’s secondary schools we have five out of the eight senior positions held by female colleagues, but this should be mirrored across the country.
“There are two main reasons why, at secondary level, the number of female colleagues coming forward for headship is below the percentage for men.
“The first is maternity care. I have experience of asking female colleagues to apply for a position but been told they are about to start a family and do not want the responsibility at this moment in time. I have also recently experienced colleagues resigning from positions of responsibility because of home pressures.
“The second is a lack of confidence that they can take the next step. It is sloppy to make generalisations, but male colleagues will often apply for something they are not ready for, whereas female colleagues need to be sure they can carry out the role.
“The work of groups such as Women into Education is addressing this issue.”
Earlier this year the female principal of one of the UK’s largest independent schools told
that she hoped to see more women take up leadership roles in education after describing how she often feels “outnumbered” by male heads.
Sue Woodroofe, who joined the Grammar School at Leeds as headteacher in 2016, acknowledged there had been a rise in the number of women taking on the role over the years.
However, she admitted women at the top still feel they have to prove themselves more than a man might do in the same position.
Mrs Woodroofe is just one of 27 female heads of independent co-educational schools in the 336 British and international member schools of The Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC).
Dr Nick Smith, courses director and founder of the Oxford Open Learning Trust, said: “Many people who study with us come to secure an extra GCSE so that they can then study for a PGCE to become a teacher. Many will eventually strive to become headteachers.
“If ambitious women in education feel that the tide is against them at this early stage, I don’t doubt that it hampers the quality of our education system very severely in the long term.”