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Headmistress numbers falling, survey suggests

22/09/2008

Women and ethnic minorities are under-represented in senior roles in Britain's schools, according to the Association of Schools and College Lecturers (ASCL).

Its labour market survey saw the number of women appointed to headships in secondary schools fall from 40 per cent to 32 per cent.

Meanwhile, as in recent years, few post holders at all leadership levels were anything other than the ethnic category 'white'.

"Women are still under-represented among heads appointed from the younger age-groups," ASCL general secretary John Dunford said.

"This year, they were particularly under-represented in the secondary sector, taking less than a third of new appointments."

It is not yet clear whether this is a trend as the survey is only in its second year. But it is reflected in primary schools, where three-quarters of headship appointments were handed to females.

This is lower than the overall percentage of female primary school teachers, suggesting women are also underrepresented at this level.

The ASCL survey also found recruitment remains a problem, with many headships remaining unfilled when first advertised.

"There are some schools in the secondary sector that find difficulty in appointing a new head," it concluded, before adding that the situation has improved in recent years.