DO MEN always do better than women in the school promotion stakes? Many believe that male candidates still have an unfair advantage (see Analysis, TES, October 25), but the evidence collected from questionnaires to more than 2,000 schools last year is somewhat mixed.

Men are more likely to be appointed to headships in the larger primary schools. They accounted for 40 per cent of appointments to group 3 and 4 schools during 2001-2, but less than 30 per cent of the group 1 and 2 headships.

However, women did especially well in London, taking 80 per cent of the 55 primary headships covered by the survey. Outside London, they fared less well, particularly when there was strong competition for posts. Only 60 per cent of the posts attracting 11 or more applicants went to a female candidate. Overall, women appear to have gained about 70 per cent of primary headships last year. But as 86 per cent of primary teachers are women, men are still being appointed to a disproportionate number of headships.

Women gained a higher proportion of the deputy heads’ posts (78 per cent). Almost three in four of these posts are now held by women. Female candidates also took 72 per cent of the relatively few assistant head posts in primaries in 2001-2.

The relative success of women in the competition for such jobs may be partly due to the huge gender imbalance among senior teachers. In March 2001, there were only 4,000 men in primary schools on the upper pay scale capable of being promoted to the leadership scale, compared with 40,000 women. Sadly, the picture is even less satisfactory in secondary schools, where the gender gap is only slowly narrowing at headteacher level. According to the Department for Education and Skills, 31 per cent of secondary heads are women, a figure that will have been only marginally affected by last year’s appointments.

Men gained about two-thirds of the 350 headships on offer even though the majority of secondary teachers are women. As in primary schools, there is less of an imbalance at deputy head level. Women took 52 per cent of these posts but they did slightly less well at assistant head level, gaining only 45 per cent of the new posts.

Women did better in all senior staff appointments in special schools, taking the majority of both head and deputy head appointments last year.

What will happen in future depends on the way candidates for the National Professional Qualification for Headship are selected. Monitoring of applicants will be needed to maintain a gender balance.

Course completion rates and subsequent appointments will have to be studied to ensure fairness in promotion.

John Howson is a visiting professor at Oxford Brookes University and a director of Education Data Surveys. Email john.howson@lineone.net