Is it a woman's world?

A report in the TES magazine writes that one in 10 primary schools in England has no male teachers. A third of primary heads are men, fewer than one in eight classroom primary teachers are male.

I found it interesting that there is such a shortage of male primary teachers compared to other countries. In Greece, 37% of primary teachers are men and 35% in Japan. In France the figure is 18% and USA 11%.

The Daily Mail adds that the decline in the number of men joining the teaching profession has occurred at the same time as the salaries for graduates in private sector firms have risen.

Heads' leaders also warn that fears over false allegations of abuse and 'hysteria' over paedophiles are driving men away.

The trend has reignited concerns that a generation of boys is growing up with few role models of male authority.

The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) says campaigns to attract more men into teaching are beginning to show results. Chief Executive Graham Holley said, "Both male and female authority figures play an important role in the development of young people, and we want the teaching workforce to reflect the strengths of our diverse society."