PRESS RELEASE : Record numbers of men teaching in primary schools – but more still needed [July 2012]
The press release issued by the Department for Education on 16 July 2012.
Latest data from the Teaching Agency (TA) shows more men are becoming primary school teachers. The number of male trainee primary teachers has increased by more than 50% in the last 4 years and has grown at 5 times the rate of women.
More top male graduates are being encouraged to follow suit and take advantage of the great opportunities a primary teaching career provides. The same pay scales apply to all teachers, regardless of whether they teach primary or secondary, and career progression opportunities are excellent. Teachers are twice as likely to be in management positions, than graduates in comparable professions after 3.5 years. The average starting salary for teachers now stands at £23,010 and the current average after 4 years is 30 per cent higher. Training bursaries of £5000 are available for those with a 2:1 degree applying to primary teaching, and £9000 for those with a First.
The TA is launching 2 new services to assist men to train to teach primary:
Firstly, a new Primary Experience programme will be available to male graduates who register their interest in primary teacher training with the TA and meet eligibility requirements. It gives men 10 days’ work experience in a school. 1,000 places will be available in schools across the country.
The TA is also able to put male graduates in touch with a range of inspirational male primary teachers, to get an insight into teachers’ motivations, career choices, challenges and the rewards of day-to-day life in a classroom.
Lin Hinnigan, Interim Chief Executive of the Teaching Agency said:
Primary teaching is increasingly a career for the most able graduates. It offers the opportunity to earn a good salary and progress quickly.
Our aim in joining forces with talented male teachers from primary schools across England is to show the reality of life in a classroom and why there’s never been a better time to join the profession.
Darren McCann, who was promoted to deputy head of St Ambrose Barlow primary school after teaching for seven years, said:
I’d always done well at school and initially thought I’d want to be a doctor or a lawyer. This all changed after I visited a school for work experience. A career in teaching shot to the top of my list. It was my ambition that directed me to primary teaching specifically – there are great opportunities for progression – and I’ve reaped the benefits of that decision.
