Three out of five primary school headteachers are now women; less than a decade ago, only half were. The figure is set to increase yet again in the next few years. This is because the percentage of women who are deputy heads has also risen during the same period, from two-thirds to almost three-quarters.
Women have fared less well in the race for leadership positions in secondary schools. In 1992, there were around 1,000 women working as heads, compared with 3,700 men. By the new millennium, the number of male secondary heads had been cut by 700 to around 3,000, but the number of female heads had risen only marginally to around 1,200. The difference in the total can be accounted for partly by the number of amalgamations during the 1990s and partly by the loss of a large number of middle schools.
In special schools, women have made better headway than in secondaries: they now account for just over 44 per cent of heads. They are in the majority among deputies in special schools, holding 57 per cent of such posts.
Overall, 68 per cent of teachers are women, compared with 65 per cent in 1992. On current trends, the number is set to rise to around 75 per cent as successive intakes of new women teachers replace men who retire from secondary schools.
John Howson
e-mail john.howson@lineone.net
