There was a time when teaching was the ideal career for a mother. But these days the idea raises a wry smile as more women - and a few men - look for ways to cut their hours.

The jobshare is often seen as an ideal solution, particularly by women coming up to maternity leave, but in practice it’s elusive. Heads often don’t like the idea, and women with children all too often give up teaching for several years.

Anna Davies, who teaches in a Staffordshire primary school and is pregnant, would like to jobshare.

“I requested a jobshare verbally and my headteacher has never mentioned it to me again,” she says. “A colleague of mine, also pregnant, made a similar request to the head, who dismissed it. I can’t believe that the LEA has no policy on jobsharing. They eventually sent me a booklet for secretarial staff.”

Many women teachers with children go on the supply list, but while it may suit parents of older children, it’s not the answer for those with pre-schoolers or juniors who need to be picked up by a childminder.

Anna Davies says: “I’ve been looking at private daycare nurseries for my baby, but they want you to commit to regular days. Another colleague with pre-teen children wants to jobshare because supply work doesn’t fit in with childminders.”

A spokesman for Staffordshire County Council said: “The council supports jobsharing and recognises that although there are sometimes difficulties, two sets of complementary skills can be advantageous.

“Staffing is a matter for heads and governors, but we can help schools and staff if someone wants to jobshare. If Ms Davies approaches us again, we’ll work with her and her school.

“We’re now preparing a leaflet for teachers with the help of teaching unions.”

The demand is clearly there, so surely jobsharing is a perfect example of the flexibility we need at a time of teacher shortage. So why isn’t it being loudly promoted?

John Dunford, general secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, says:

“Jobsharing does pose organisational problems that need to be addressed. But we should be positive about it because it can make the difference between keeping a good teacher and losing one.

“Jobsharing is particularly hard in English, maths and science, which have several contacts a week.

“Of course, you have to find the other half of the jobshare, too. Heads with problems about jobsharing should go to their union for advice.”

When two of her staff approached Dame Mavis Grant, head of Canning Street junior school in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, for a post-babies jobshare last year, she knew she wanted to keep them.

“It’s working well,” she says. “They are good members of staff, and I wanted to keep them. One works three full days, Monday to Wednesday, and the other works Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday.

“The Wednesday afternoon together allows teaching continuity and lets them discuss pastoral issues. I wanted that to be an official part of their working time - it ensures that the discussion happens each week, and I didn’t see why it should happen in their own time.

“We were supported by the personnel department of the LEA. I have 14 teachers - that gives me some juggling space. It would have been much harder with a small staff. Both teachers were curriculum co-ordinators for certain parts of the curriculum, so there were management implications.

“It’s not going to be possible in all schools, but it’s a way of keeping valuable teachers who also have care responsibilities for children or elderly relatives.”

It may be the responsibility of heads, but education authorities could certainly help. On the Department of Trade and Industry website (www.dti.gov uk), there’s an interesting document called The Law and Best Practice: a detailed guide for employers and part-timers.

The section on jobsharing is short but positive and makes two recommendations: employers should take jobsharing requests seriously, and larger organisations should keep a database of all those who are interested in entering into jobsharing arrangements. But the DTI says the encouragement of best practice is as far as it can go because there’s no legal right to a jobshare.

The brightest hope for those who want to share a job is probably the report due in November from the Government’s Work and Parents Taskforce, which was appointed in June to look at flexible working patterns. The report is expected to place an obligation on employers to take a request for a jobshare seriously and consider its feasibility.

That’s probably as good as it’s going to get, but LEAs could help a lot of teachers and schools if they responded to the report by setting up a database of all teachers in their area who want to jobshare.

A matchmaker service set up by local authorities could certainly prevent teacher fallout as well as relieving headteachers of a major headache.