MARTIN Whittaker asks, “Where are all the men?” (TES, Friday magazine, June 21) and then proceeds to tell us where they all are - in the all-male management team at Bewbush community middle school!
There are indeed fewer men in primary teaching now than in the past, but they still disproportionately occupy positions of power and this is not even commented on.
Yes, we probably do need more men in primary teaching, and we do need to get rid of outdated stereotypes that suggest it is a “natural” job for women and “unnatural” for men.
But we also need to rid ourselves of blind acceptance that where there are men then they should occupy the most powerful positions within our schools. No wonder that for some female teachers, “the idea of this man coming in wasn’t something they immediately took to”.
Dr Mary Thornton
University of Hertfordshire
Department of education
Learning and teaching
development centre
Watford campus
Aldenham, Hertfordshire
