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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

male teachers in primary

36 replies

workshy · 11/11/2011 22:31

our primary has quite a few male teachers (5) and most children will have at least 1 male class teacher in their school career, the music teacher that teaches all classes in the school is male and so is the head

quite a few friends are suprised that there are so many and especially that they work in KS1 and 2 and have asked me if I was worried when DD2 had a male teacher in reception

is it really that unusual?

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VelcroFanjo · 11/11/2011 22:33

Our local school has one male teacher and he only joined a couple of years ago. Before that the caretaker had to go on the school trips as he was the only male member of staff!

TapTapTapPenny · 11/11/2011 22:35

I think your friends are unusual.

And by 'unusual' I mean 'bonkers'.

Original poster

workshy · 11/11/2011 22:39

I think for some very strange reason they were concerned about the teacher helping the little ones change for PE but I don't subscribe to the 'all men are potential paedophiles' school of thought anyway

and when I was a student and I had to go into a school for a work placement the teachers didn't help them get changed anyway, hence lots of kids wandering round with their trousers on back to front and shirts buttoned up wrongly

OP posts:

pooka · 11/11/2011 22:40

I think it is sadly fairly unusual.

We're lucky at our 2 form entry school because we have 4 male teachers. They're all in KS2 at the moment (though last year one was in KS1). I think the school is aiming for a situation where every other year a class in KS2 will have male teacher (though obv subject to change if staff leave).

Did at one point have 6 men, but 2 left. However our female HT just replaced by a guy.

I know of other schools locally with none or perhaps only 1 male teacher. I do think that this is a shame - don't understand why primary teaching should be considered a female occupation, and I do think that it is good for many kids to have a male role model. Though that does depend on the teacher being good - and no reason that a male teacher will automatically also be brill.

VelcroFanjo · 11/11/2011 22:41

I think it's great to have male teachers in primaries. My oldest loved having a male teacher and, frankly, when they move to secondary it can come as quite a shock when the teachers are mostly male if you have only ever had feamle teachers. As for those that worry about male teachers they are twits IMO !

yousankmybattleship · 11/11/2011 22:43

I think you are very lucky to have male teachers. In my experience it is really unsual in early years. Your friends are bonkers by the way and scare me a little bit. Please make new friends!

Pancakeflipper · 11/11/2011 22:43

Our primary has 7 male teachers. And we don't worry.

Original poster

workshy · 11/11/2011 22:47

ok so I use the term 'friends' loosely -it's mostly people from work lol

OP posts:

mrz · 12/11/2011 10:12

Do male reception teachers help the little ones get changed more than female reception teachers?

The "help" is normally of opening a stiff top button on a shirt and tying laces nothing more intimate IME

cory · 12/11/2011 10:14

what a strange reaction from your friends!

most of us would be delighted to see more male teachers in primary school

gegs73 · 12/11/2011 16:29

Male teachers in primary are brilliant. Both my DSs have them this year and could not be happier. Its never even crossed my mind that it could be a problem.

bruffin · 12/11/2011 16:40

My favorite teacher in primary was male. I recently found a memorial page to him on the internet David Buckland I must have had him in his first year of teaching. I was a quiet little thing and he did everything to boost my confidence.

DCs school only had one male teacher who left, they were desperate to attract more male teaching staff, and finally got one when DD was yr6. He was helping out in the class as the yr6 teacher was also deputy head. He went on to take over the yr6 class for the last two years. I do think the older boys benefit from having a male teacher.

exoticfruits · 12/11/2011 16:40

It makes me furious when people make these statements. We need far more male teachers in primary schools and we specially need them in KS1 -why on earth would they want to come forward when people question their motives? . Why does no one ask why women want to teach young DCs but it is quite alright to question men? I imagine they have exactly the same reasons as women.
I hate the double standards, it is quite alright if women work in traditional male jobs and women would get uptight if they were banned from being plumbers BUT you can't have it working one way. You can't have men being banned from traditional female jobs and ignorant parents saying they don't want a male nursery worker taking their DD to the toilet. It is a job-they need to do all aspects of it.
The Scout association is crying out for leaders and some men won't come forward they are frightened that their motives would be questioned.
I would love to get to the day where we have equal numbers of male/female in primary and most particular in KS1. I know a male reception teacher and he is wonderful and quite refreshing as he is young, unmarried and has a completely different approach. (and perfectly normal with a lovely girlfriend).

exoticfruits · 12/11/2011 16:43

Parents may dress their 4/5yr old but in school they do it themselves-it only requires a few top buttons and shoes laces, if they have them.

HeresTheThingBooyhoo · 12/11/2011 16:46

eugh!! your friends sound like my mum.

when ds1 started a new day nursery he would talk about all the staff, one was male and mum picked up on this, took me aside and told me to "just keep an eye on things, you dont know what goes on in people's heads"

she infuriates me.

ragged · 12/11/2011 16:47

3/11 teachers at our primary are men, and I thought that was quite unusual.
It's been brilliant for my DD: she turns out to be more sporty than her brothers, and yes, I think having male teachers has increased the sporting emphasis, increased the profile of sports achievements, lots of specialist teachers in to teach specific subjects, more sport clubs started in recent years.
That said the X-Country club leader is a woman teacher, and DS2 is doing very well in there, too.

Speaking of examples of sad sexism ... I was in a chippy today that had a "cute" sign up saying:
"How are men and fish alike?
Because they both get in trouble when they open their mouths."

Not funny, really, just not. Can you imagine if that sign had said "women" instead of men?

nickelbabe · 12/11/2011 16:48

at junior school, our head was a man, and we had 2 male teachers.
we had 5 female ones, and most kids got to have a male teacher through the 4 years.
one of the male teachers was also the gymnastics teacher, so he did the after-school things.

I think it's vital to have male role models at that age.

Original poster

workshy · 12/11/2011 16:49

I love the male teachers at my school

the head was quite open about wanting to attract more male teachers and some of the parents complained that he was being sexist against women!!!

owing to the fact that my kid's dad is a deadbeat, I'm really pleased that they have the male role models and 1 of them is quite nice to look at when I'm dropping them off at school lol

OP posts:

Joyn · 12/11/2011 17:09

Here here work shy I've met other mums like your friends who are worried about male teachers, I think it must be awful to be that suspicious. There are so many positives of having male role models around.

EcoLady · 12/11/2011 17:28

Roughly one fifth of the Primary PGCE trainees on my course are male.

At my DC's school there are two male class teachers and nine female (plus female Head). We also have one male TA - he's brilliant.

I'm on placement in a primary with one male and seven female (plus male Head). All the TAs are female.

I feel very sad that there are still many people with the attitude of the OP's friends. The male trainees I'm with will all make brilliant primary teachers, but they know that they will have to face these prejudices.

exoticfruits · 12/11/2011 19:18

As the mother of DSs it makes me very sad that people hold such views.

mintyneb · 12/11/2011 20:03

my DD has just started reception and one of the things I loved about her school when I chose it is that there are at least half a dozen men on the teaching staff. When I saw the staff list for the other (smaller) school near us it seemed so strange just to see a list of Mrs, Miss and Ms

MoreBeta · 12/11/2011 20:10

To have 5 male teachers is somewhat unusual in a Primary. Unusual in a good way. I have heard that state Primary schools are desperate to hire more male teachers.

DSs Prep school has quiet a lot of male teachers. I would say about 40% are men. It is more usual to see men in Prep schools than state Primary schools for some reason.

Your friends are bonkers and prejudiced.

Hulababy · 12/11/2011 20:17

Your friends sound very odd to be worried or concerned about male teachers working in reception!

I work in an infant school and this year we have a male teacher - an NQT, working in Y1. He's great and there are no issues whatsoever, can't imagine why there ever would be.

DD is in a small primary school and there is a male teacher. DD is in Y5 and he is her teacher this year and she thinks he is great. I most definitely have no concerns whatsoever, quite the opposite.

SenseofEntitlement · 12/11/2011 20:24

We have one male teacher and a male head in dd's one form primary. They are desperate for more men in the school and so love dh for doing reading and pta stuff.

Is such a shame - there is a lovely male nursery nurse in the nursery that the girls went/go to and all the kids adore him.

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