Male teachers can have a positive impact on the behaviour of primary school boys, a survey suggests. The Training and Development Agency for Schools wants to encourage more men to apply to become primary teachers.
The YouGov survey of 603 children aged eight to 11 shows 51% of boys believe they are better behaved with a male teacher - and 42% say they work harder.
At present, a large majority of teachers in England's primary schools are women with only 16% being men.
The TDA, which recruits and trains teachers, wants to see a more balanced workforce in primary schools - providing both male and female authority figures.
Currently one in 12 pupils will have gone through primary school without ever having been taught by a man.
The survey suggests male teachers can provide a positive role model for boys at primary school - and that a large majority of boys would like to have both male and female teachers in their schools.
There were indications that having male teachers could help boys' overall experience of school - with 44% agreeing that male teachers "help them to enjoy school more" and 37% of boys saying it made them feel more self-confident.
More than a quarter of boys agreed that male teachers "understand them better" and could be "relied upon for good advice".
There has been a rise in applications from men wanting to enter teacher training for primary school - up to 19% of applications - but the training agency would like to see a further increase.
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- 14 - 17 January, 2009
BETT 2009 - UK
