Men breaking the mould

As a way of encouraging this trend and supporting male students in an environment where they are currently in a minority a mentor scheme is being introduced to prepare trainees for careers in primary schools.

Owain Hadden, who trained as a teacher at Exeter many years ago and Howard Williams, teachers at Landscore Primary School in Crediton, have been enrolled as mentors. They will provide an opportunity for students to ask questions about working as a man in a primary school as well as offering advice on how to tackle sensitive situations that may arise in the classroom or staffroom.

Dr Anthony Wilson Director of PGCE Primary of the University of Exeter, says ‘We would expect schools to reflect the diversity of the community at large. It is therefore a missed opportunity if men feel that they do not have a contribution to make to primary education. We want to provide the opportunity for our trainees to feel that they can openly talk about the issues they face without appearing to say the wrong thing.’

Further support for the Men in Primary programme will come from two members of staff at the University’s School of Education and Lifelong Learning, Nick Givens and Dr Sue Jones, who both specialise in gender issues in education.

The Men in Primary scheme includes a series of workshops that will run for at least a year.  These will also cover how to behave in the class room and staffroom, dealing with parents in a school that has few male teachers and how to present themselves as a professional in the workplace. The Training and Development Agency for Schools has provided funds towards the scheme which started earlier this year with an open day for male students only and a subsequent event providing a question and answer session.

A significant proportion of the schools where Exeter PGCE primary teachers train are rural and can be remote which may lead to a feeling of isolation for some male students.  As the University of Exeter is based in a rural county the School of Education and Lifelong Learning is aware that by providing schemes such as this, it can address any potential issues and encourage the growth of male teachers in primary schools.

Dr Wilson remembers being viewed as a ‘novelty’ when starting his primary teaching career in London and is aware that a diverse primary school environment is positive for all.  He adds, ‘We plan to outline what the guidelines should be, based on the law and will encourage men to relate to what we tell them using real-life situations they have encountered.’

The University of Exeter also provides a unique course which enables PGCE primary students to specialise in a particular subject across a broad sector including Music, Humanities, Maths, Science and Modern Languages.