TTR0136

Written evidence submitted by Men and Boys Coalition

c/o ManKind Initiative, Flook House, Belvedere Road, Somerset, TA1 1BT

www.menandboyscoalition / @MBCoalition

Executive Summary

1.                   There is a significant shortage of male teachers at all levels of the school system which is well known by the government, education policy and research institutes, and, other education bodies.

2.                   However, there is systemic lack of concern, research or action on the reasons for this gender teacher gap, the impact on boys’ educational achievement and personal development, and, also the broader consideration of a public service failing to reflect the community it serves. Due to the lack of policy, research and action, there is clearly a conscious policy decision by the government and others not to find out why, let alone take any action to resolve it.

3. The charity recommends a range of actions such as wholesale and systemic research on the reasons behind the gender teacher gap and its impact on boys’ underachievement. This must include a range of intersectionalities including ethnicity, fatherlessness, poverty and place. The charity also recommends investment in male-specific teacher recruitment campaigns, just as the Government has rightly done in ensuring more young women join STEM industries.

About the Men and Boys Coalition

4.                   The Men and Boys Coalition is a registered charity which is a network of more than 110 academics, charities and professionals dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of men and boys. Its vision is for a society that values the wellbeing of men and boys.

5.              A number of its members are experts in the field of boys’ education including Professor Gijsbert Stoet, Sonia Shaljean (CEO and founder of Lads Need Dads), Future Men, Male Childcare and Teaching Jobs, North East Lads and Dads, Rocking UR Teens and Ulster University (Taking Boys Seriously project).

6. The trustees of the Coalition are also the team behind International Men’s Day in the UK (www.ukmensday.org.uk). The UK has more events marking the day than anywhere else in the world and men and boys’ health is a significant feature in those events.

7. The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of all the Coalition’s members included those listed in paragraph 5 but are a reflection of the broad stance the charity has on this subject.

8. The issues that the Coalition focuses on all have a negative impact on the mental health of men and boys in one shape or form. These issues are:

• The high male suicide rate
• The challenges faced by boys and men at all stages of education including attainment
• Men’s health, shorter life expectancy and workplace deaths
• The challenges faced by the most marginalised men and boys in society (for instance, homeless men, boys in care and the high rate of male deaths in custody)
• Male victims of violence, including sexual violence
• The challenges faced by men as parents, particularly new fathers and separated fathers
• Male victims and survivors of sexual abuse, rape, sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour-based crime, stalking and slavery
• The negative portrayal of men, boys and fathers

10.              The teaching workforce is predominantly female and there is no predicted change in the pipeline of potential teachers. The core statistics are below with the first four from the Government’s education workforce data[1] are:

• The teaching workforce of England is predominantly female; 75.5% as at November 2021 (2021/22), up from 74.4% in 2010/11.
• Only 35% of teachers in secondary school are male
• 14% of teachers in primary and nursery school are male
• 25% of teachers in Special or PRU schools are male
• 2-3% of teachers in Early Years’ education are male[2]

11.              According to research from The Education Policy Institute/University of Essex in 2020[3]:

• 30% of primary schools in England have no male teacher
• “The proportion of men in the school workforce from a BAME background (9.1 per cent) is gradually becoming more representative of the population (14 per cent).”
• “This means that the fall in the number of male teachers has been driven by white males. Indeed, the number of white male secondary school teachers has fallen by over 12,800 since 2010, a fall of 17 per cent. This is an important consideration in areas where there is a prevalence of underperforming white working-class boys.”

12.              In terms of new entrants, there is no indication that this gap will be closing any time soon, which is also a symptom of the fact that 35,000 fewer 18-year-old UK boys enter university at 18 than girls of the same age. This will inevitably feed through to gender ratios of those taking PGCEs/Cert Eds. The figures from the Government’s education workforce data indicate this in 2021[4]:

The gender teacher gap matters for boys’ education, employment and society

13.              The key problems and issues with respect to the lack of male teachers are based on the impact on boys’ education/personal development, employment careers for men and reflecting society more widely.

14.              Boys are behind girls at every stage of education:

• 35,000 fewer 18-year-old UK boys started university in September 2022 than girls of the same age[5]

• 83.9% of girls studying A levels received a grade of C and above, whilst 80% of boys did[6]. However, it is important to note that this also masks the volumes of students studying A levels which then has a knock-on effect on university and then those studying PGCEs/Cert Eds. In 2021, 55% of those studying A levels were female[7].
• 55.8% of girls and 48.2% of boys received a grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths[8]
• In terms of SATS (Key Stage 2), 55% of boys met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (combined), down from 60% in 2019. 63% of girls met the expected standard in all three subjects, down from 70% in 2019.[9]
• The female NEET rate is 11.8%, whilst the male NEET rate is12.8%. Up until 2019, the female NEET rate had been higher than that for males but now the reverse is true.[10]

15.              With respect to reflecting society, there has been a strong and welcome movement/trend over the past two decades that public services should reflect the communities they serve. This is not happening with respect to education and male teachers. Even more so, at primary school and early years.

16.              We contend that this has a detrimental impact on boys especially from working class White British and Black Caribbean backgrounds who in terms of education results and social mobility suffer significant disadvantage. Education underachievement plays a key role in this. The detriment is that boys from these communities do not believe that learning and education (especially reading[11] and writing) are a ‘masculine/male’ activity and that it is a ‘feminine/female activity’. This is partly driven by not ‘seeing’ male teachers which therefore reinforces or creates this impression. It means the worthy statement “you need to see it, to be it” is not being applied as a principle to boys when it comes to learning.

17              As stated in Paragraph 11, there has been a welcome increase in male teachers from a BAME background (albeit it still needs to increase) but a fall in white male teachers. This therefore is exacerbating the issue further as fewer white working-class boys will see a reflection of themselves in the teachers within their schools. More examination and research should also be created on the reason for this as well looking for similar impacts of ‘missing male teachers’ for different groups within the BAME community. The latter is a very broad category and will mask differences in different ethnic groups.

18              Following on this from this is that the lack of male teachers has become self-fulfilling as young men when growing up and looking for careers may feel that teaching is not a career that is for men.

19              The importance of positive male role models in the lives of boys and young men is crucial, even more so for those who do not have them in their home environment. Therefore, the creation and growth of organisations such as award-winning Lads Need Dads[12] has been so crucial where boys and young men do not have dads/stepdads and then do not see positive male role models in the form of teachers in school. Male teachers as role models are not just vital for learning (“you need to see it, to be it”) but also for socialisation. Male teachers enable boys to see, feel, and experience the vital and important role that men play in society, see men they can aspire to be and how men should behave, including with respect to others. The lack of male teachers, who can also act as male mentors, for boys means that for some boys there is no male anchor in their life at all.

20              An additional issue with respect to the impact of a lack of male teachers is the lack of those within schools with the lived experience of being a boy with all that brings. From male puberty, to how boys interact (including with each other) and develop, and, how they deal with emotional and psychological challenges. A more balanced education profession would better understand the lives of young men and boys. This would also help with a schools’ response to behaviour deemed unacceptable.

21              From another perspective is the issue that as well commented upon, ‘traditional’ male jobs has been in some decline[13]. This means there is a need to find new employment roles for men, which given the level of teacher shortages already, there is a broader employment and societal need for more men becoming teachers. This is part of the overall need to recruit men into HEAL jobs (health, education, administration, and literacy).

Why the silence from government and others?

22              What is perplexing especially given the welcome move over the last two decades of ensuring society is more inclusive and public services reflect the communities they serve, is the near complete policy, research and campaigning silence.

23              The government does not seem concerned. It produces no research on the causes – and therefore has no actions and runs no specific male teaching recruitment campaigns (as revealed to the Education Select Committee in its Accountability Hearing with the Secretary of State on 7 December 2022[14]).

24              It means there is no action to resolve the issue and no explanation either about why they are not interested. We would in fact be as bold as to contend that if the genders were reversed and there was a shortage of female teachers, then the Government would be producing research with actions and running specific recruitment campaigns. This is a form of discrimination as it is an unequal approach to areas of recruitment shortages for public services. For example, the Government rightly runs campaigns to persuade girls to take up STEM careers, but why does it choose (it is a choice as the data is there in plain sight) not do the same for boys becoming teachers. It is a deliberate policy decision not to do so.

25              The same broad issues apply to the broad national education sector. When there is a concern raised about the lack of male teachers, the commentary is either ‘we don’t know’ without a commitment or turned to general issues including with respect to those from minority ethnic backgrounds. This of course is a very valid problem to raise which we fully support – but there is nothing specific in terms of an overarching commitment or concern in the lack of male teachers on a broad basis. It is hard to understand why this is the case and again, we would contend this approach would be different if there was a lack of female teachers and it is hard to understand why there is this lack of concern.

26              This can be seen in a March 2022 Observer report[15] with respect to the lack of male teachers with comments such as:

27              We would note that he ASCL has started to raise the issue and later in 2022 stated that low pay was an issue with respect to male teachers.[16]

28              However, when searching for more research on reasons and solutions including from academic research and that from education policy institutes in the UK, it is lacking.

29               This means that issues affecting male recruitment and retention cannot be addressed if no one is actively trying to find out why.

30              The reasons could be many-fold from including:

• Pay and Conditions
• Workload
• Teaching is seen by men as a profession for women
• Lack of prestige/status from society in being a teacher
• Lack of career progression
• Fear of false allegations/motives (including in early years)
• Not enough men studying degrees so not enough men are eligible for studying teaching qualifications
• Costs too much to train (tuition fees)
• Emergence of the blended office/home model of working

Recommendations

31              The charity has a range of recommendations which are below.

32              The Government must commission wholesale and systemic research to find the reasons why men are not becoming teachers and why they are leaving. Until that takes place, it is hard to be precise on the reasons and actions.

33              Following from the research, the Government must take wholesale and systemic actions to resolve this issue and close/end the gender teacher gap.

34               The Government must commission wholesale and systemic research on the impact of a lack of male teachers has on boys’ educational underachievement, social mobility, and their personal development. This also includes taking an intersectional approach including based on ethnicity, fatherlessness, poverty and place.

35               Following from the research the Government must take wholesale and systemic actions to resolve this issue.

36              The Government must create and deliver male specific recruitment campaigns which also take into the above research findings.

April 2023