Sexism ‘stops women getting top school jobs’

The Shadow Education Secretary warned of a “gender challenge” and claimed that the numbers of female teachers becoming school leaders was falling.

Figures suggest that in 2012, just under two thirds of head teacher posts in state secondary schools were held by men with only a third held by women.

In a speech to the Association of School and College Leaders annual conference Mr Hunt said: “The statistics are stark.

Despite the fact that 62 per cent of all teachers working in secondary education are women, when it comes to head teachers that figure drops to just over a third. And it is falling.”