Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making to increase the number of male teachers in state primary and secondary schools; and whether the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 are being observed in all teaching appointments to those schools.

The Government values diversity in the workforce and we want the best and brightest people in the classroom, regardless of their gender. The quality of teaching is the single most important factor in determining how well pupils achieve and we want to see more great teachers in England’s schools.

Between 2011/12 and 2014/15, the number of male teachers (FTE) has increased from 115,000 to over 119,000. In 2014/15, 26 per cent of teachers in publicly funded schools in England were male; this proportion has remained broadly stable over time.

The proportion of entrants to primary postgraduate initial teacher training (ITT) in 2015/16 that are male is 22 per cent, an increase of 2 percentage points since 2010/11. The proportion of entrants to secondary postgraduate ITT courses in 2015/16 that are male is 40 per cent, an increase of 2 percentage points since 2010/11. 34 per cent of entrants to School Direct (salaried) scheme in 2015/16 are male.

It is the responsibility of schools and employers to comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.