Female head teachers in England’s secondary schools will remain an under-represented group for a quarter of a century, a study has found.
The research notes that there has been an increase in the overall proportion of female head teachers between 2001 and 2015, from 25% to 38%.
But it finds the proportion of women heads is unlikely to match that of women classroom teachers for 25 years.
The University of Nottingham study says the issue is one of social justice.
It says the proportion of female leaders is too low given that women account for the majority of teachers in England’s secondary schools at 64%.
The report assessed the number of female heads in post in state secondary schools in England, including free schools and academies, in the academic year 2015-16.
It found only seven local authorities had a proportion of female secondary head teachers that matched that of women secondary teachers nationally.
