Lack of diversity among primary school teachers harming children’s education?

New research from Warwick Business School (WBS) has investigated the scale of diversity in schools.

The research indicates that 30 per cent of primary schools had no male classroom teachers, a percentage that has risen over the last two years and 23 per cent of schools in England have only white female teachers.

WBS conducts an annual study of the demography of primary school teachers in England and believe that this year’s results showed little progress had been made.

The report refers to research that shows that children perform best educationally if they are taught by a diverse mix of teachers, with research indicating that ethnic minority students did better academically with a teacher of the same race and that the effect was particularly pronounced on lower performing students.

The National Governance Association (NGA) has said: “Although governing boards will not be directly involved in the recruitment of teachers, they should ensure that the culture, policies and practices cultivate an inclusive environment that helps ensure that their staff team is diverse and reflects the community it serves.”