Drive to encourage male teachers

A campaign has been launched to encourage more men to become primary school teachers in two counties.

Education leaders said 12% of the 2,062 primary teachers in Worcestershire were male, and in Herefordshire it was 15% of the 781 teachers.

According to the Training and Development Agency teachers can provide good male role models for boys.

More than 800 men were surveyed across the UK and a third thought having a male teacher made them work harder.

Potential primary teacher trainees have less than nine weeks left to apply for postgraduate training courses next year.

Figures released by the General Teaching Council for England show that across the UK men currently account for 13% of registered primary school teachers.