Male NQT considering KS1

[Gudhai]

Hi all,

I'm currently a trainee teacher on final placement and I have secured a position for September as an NQT. The position was advertised as a KS2 position and tbf I have always seen myself as an upper KS2 teacher - however in the interview they asked how I would feel about KS1 position?

They won't be stating which teachers will be in which year group until June (I suspect I wil be in yr6 as I used to be an unqualified teacher in yr6 previously) but it got me thinking even though I've personally never seen a male teacher in ks1, I am doing final placement in ks1 at the moment an do enjoy it.

Do you know any ks1 male teachers, if so how are they generally received? Very interested in views from parents and teachers.

[MrR2200]

Getting diverse experience is very positive and will be really helpful. If you enjoy KS1 and have had a bit of UQT experience in Y6, I'd definitely say go for it.

[Gudhai]

@steppemum it was an academy school.

Thankfully, as I have a portfolio of evidence as an uqt I only have to be assessed in one 6wk placement setting otherwise as a career changer I would not have been able to afford to take a year out of work. Having worked as an uqt has definitely made me a better teacher. But certainly understand why some parents would be concerned or want a Qts teacher.

[Beehivesandhoney]

Yes mine had a fantastic male teacher in year one and two. Amazing bloke and the kids loved him.

[yellowplumpreserves]

The male KS1 teacher at my daughters' school is wonderful. He's a fantastic teacher and very popular with parents and pupils alike.

[CB1234]

Both of mine have had male teachers in ks1. I am not seeing what the gig deal is . One was crap and the other was good. Just as would have been the case if they were female. I don't buy into a male teacher being 'good' for my son, as its down to who teaches not what they have between their legs.

[StickStickStickStick]

Feenie sorry. Phone auto correct and I'm rubbish on my phone.

[StickStickStickStick]

Of course feeble but proportionately far more deputy/head posts in primary than secondary surely? Head:teachers is far higher in secondary? Promotion is more likely to be head of department or head faculty. Schools with 6 teachers or 9 teachers still have a head/deputy.

Not a reason I'd consider though as i like(d) bei ng in the classroom but people do .

[SockEatingMonster]

Mine are both KS2 now, but when they were KS1 the most important thing to us was that their teacher came across as warm and nurturing. It wouldn't have mattered if they were male/female.

I do agree that (subject to correct skills etc) it would be nice to see more men in primary schools. By this I mean TAs, lunchtime supervisors, teachers and office staff. There's one lone male teacher (Y5) at DC's primary, no male TAs or office staff. Exactly the same as when I was at primary school 30-odd years ago.

[Feenie]

You don't 'progress' to deputy/head in the same school though - you usually apply to other schools. The process isn't any quicker than any other sector.

[StickStickStickStick]

Quicker progression to depyty/head in infant schools to as usually much smaller than secondaries.

[Norestformrz]

"The reason that there are so few male teachers is less to do with suspicion than it is to do with KS1 being low status and low pay" it's the same pay as a KS2 or KS3 or KS4 teacher

[IfyouseeRitaMoreno]

DS had a male reception who was very popular.

I hate to sound sour grapes on this positive thread but if only men were as positive and as gushing about women entering traditionally male professions.

The reason that there are so few male teachers is less to do with suspicion than it is to do with KS1 being low status and low pay. As traditionally female occupations are.

So do it. Because the more men we have in KS1 the more it’ll go up in status.

[RafikiIsTheBest]

Keep in mind that most people on here are against stereotyping and thus gender norms. In the real world not so much, I know most people in my family would find it very odd to see a man working with very young children and possible question it or refer to him as a 'kiddy fiddler' or 'something not being right with him' to put it mildly. They are also quite homophobic, find racist jokes hilarious and have a few other traits I disagree with. In their areas this is the norm, as it was when I grew up, but where I live now it's not so much of an issue and I've worked at nurseries, after-school clubs and schools with men who have been great or shit at their job and solely been judged on their ability and not their sex, so I think in the right environment it can work.

[Buxbaum]

Or perhaps it's paranoia on my part - think the elephant in the room is what some ppl think about men with being with younger children - again could just be my paranoia tbf.

Nah. That's not why there are very few men in EYFS and KS1.

IMHO it's due to a very widely-held and deeply-set prejudice, conscious or not, that the KS2 curriculum is more academically challenging while EYFS and KS1 is all finger-painting and story time. It's also why there are more men in secondary schools than there are in primaries. Attitudes are gradually changing as the importance of EYFS / KS1 in closing the gap for disadvantaged pupils is better researched and understood, of course, but the prejudice is there. It's then compounded by the fact that many primary schools place male teachers in upper KS2 as a behaviour management technique.

[perfectionistchaos]

No problem at all with male primary teachers. The only issue I've seen a couple of times is a man getting into education because they think they're more likely than a woman to be fast tracked into SLT. I like ambition but only if the teacher is fully committed to the role they currently have, rather than always having an eye to the next step in detriment to the class that they actually are teaching.

[steppemum]

The best KS1 teacher my DCs had was male. I think it's a shame that most are female.

I am sorry but there is so much wrong with this sentence that I don't even know where to begin.

There are good teachers, mediocre teachers and bad teachers. Some of those are female, some male, and some young and some old.

Being male doesn't make you a better teacher. Being female doesn't make you worse.
Its a shame that most are female how to write off thousands of brilliant teachers all in one fell swoop.

I agree, it is nice to have some male teachers in a school. But in an interview with 2 teachers in front of me for a job, the job will go to the best teacher, regardless of their gender.

[snozzlemaid]

The best KS1 teacher my DCs had was male. I think it's a shame that most are female.

[lils888]

@steppemum I don't think it is when the school is an academy? May be wrong though

[steppemum]

Where have you been teaching that you did 2 year as a class teacher with no QTS? I thought that was illegal in state schools?

[steppemum]

I think you are misinterpreting the societal perception thing.

It isn;t that society doesn't want or like male teachers, it is that, because there are so many female teachers, they are surprised to find a male teacher and when they do assuem it is older kids/maths science.

That is not at all the same as saying that when they get a male teacher at KS1 they don't like it, on the contrary, they usually love it.

Unfortunately my dd currently has a male teacher that I am singularly unimpressed with. Maybe I was spoilt by her amazing teacher last year, but hey, he is very mediocre. But that is nothing to do with him being male!

[SadieHH]

My daughter’s yr1 teacher is male. She loves him and he’s very highly regarded. We have two other male teachers and I’d be delighted with either one of them for my children.

[steppemum]

I am quite puzzled by your post actually.
I have never known a parent think a male teacher was a bad idea because it was KS1.
On the contrary, most parents are happy to have some male teachers to balance out the overwhelming majority of women.

I woudl be surprised if you were put in year 6. I am a governor and I knwo that the year 6 teacher is the one most carefully allocated, as SATS matter so much to the school. It is unlikely our school would put an NQT into that role.

We would also expect every single teacher to be willing to teach any class from reception to year 6, as at times flexibility is required. (although teachers have obvious strengths and preferences which the HT goes with as far as possible)

[Gudhai]

Thanks for all the responses, I really appreciate it.

Prior to doing this final placement I worked as an unqualified teacher in KS2 and always saw myself as a KS2 teacher but this placement and my new school's asking of whether I'd consider KS1 has made me think.

Good to know that any fears I may have around outside perception may, it seems, be limited to only a few on society.

Thanks

[Norestformrz]

If you plan to go onto headship at some point it's considered a good thing to have experience in all three primary stages (EYFS, KS1 and 2)

[lostherenow]

My sons infant school has a male teacher in Year 2 - all the kids think he is amazing!

As you qualified in KS1 and 2 does it really matter? If the school offer you KS1 you could take it if you want and then if it doesn't work out you could go back to KS2.