Headteachers in Wales are getting younger but women remain under-represented at the top

30 April 2009

Statistics released this week show that headteachers in Wales are getting younger, and that there is an unrepresentative number of female teachers reaching the top.

The General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW) Annual Statistics Digest shows that a shift in trend has occurred this year, with the number of headteachers over the age of 50 having decreased by more than 5%, while the number of headteachers under the age of 45 has increased from 21.8% to 25.5%.

This finding contradicts the high level of anecdotal evidence about the ageing profile of headteachers, and should help ease concerns about a lack of young headteachers moving up through the ranks.

However, the digest also shows that there is little change in terms of the gender split of headteachers, which remains unreflective of the fact that 74.4% of the teaching population is female. Although there has been a small increase in the overall number of female headteachers, who now make up 53.2% the population, it still remains the case that less than a quarter (23%) of secondary school headteachers are female.

This is in spite of the fact that of the 30% of headteachers who now hold the National Professional Qualification of Headship (NPQH), 58.1% are female and only 41.9% are male. NPQH is a mandatory qualification for all aspiring headteachers to help ensure the future high quality of individuals stepping into the position.

Speaking on what the statistical data on headteachers reveals, Hayden Llewellyn, GTCW deputy chief executive, said: “It is great to see a larger number of younger teachers being given the opportunity to progress though the profession and to build on their NPQH by stepping into the role of headteacher.

“The fact that there is a now higher proportion of women obtaining their NPQH should in time redress the balance in terms of the number of women obtaining headteacher status compared to men.

This is the eighth Annual Statistics Digest produced by the General Teaching Council for Wales, which is compiled from information held on its register of almost 39,000 qualified teachers. The data in the report relates to all ‘registered’ teachers in Wales, which includes all teachers currently working in the maintained school sector and those teachers who are not working in the maintained sector but have chosen to register with the GTCW.

Another statistic to have come out of this year’s Digest is that the total number of registered teachers has fallen for the first time since 2001 from 38,942 to 38,879. This reversal may be explained by the reduction of teacher training numbers in Wales owing to the shortage of permanent teaching posts in the primary sector, which would have resulted in a reduced number of NQTs registering. A number of school closures and amalgamations have also taken place across Wales, which could also have reduced the need for registered teachers.

Mr Llewellyn added: “The GTCW has noted the small drop this year in the number of registered teachers, which can be attributed to a number of issues including the reduction in teacher training numbers in Wales implemented to tackle the shortage of permanent teaching posts in the primary sector, which in turn has reduced the number of NQTs registering this year.”

The Annual Statistics Digest is part of the GTCW’s role as an advisory body to the government on teaching issues. The GTCW also helps to raise the status of teaching by regulating the profession and by supporting teachers’ professional development.

To read the Statistics Digest in full, please visit here (PDF 2.3Mb).