THE 11-year-old daughter of a friend of mine was extolling the virtues of her middle school teacher this week, on the first day back after the summer holidays. “He’s brilliant”, she said.

This young lady is one of the (relatively) few pupils in this country to benefit from being taught by a man, judging by the latest statistics from the General Teaching Council for England.

Primary schools are still suffering from a significant lack of male teachers. According to the GTCE, as of March 31 this year, there were 25,896 men working in primary schools comp- ared with 181,696 women. One in four primaries have no registered male teachers at all.

Meanwhile at the same date, there were just 44 men working in state nurseries, with only one of those under 25.

The statistics highlight the continuing difficulties of encouraging men to work at the younger end of the education system. Whether this imbalance is actually important is clearly a matter of opinion. Some experts believe that young boys in particular need a male role model when many have only aggressive and macho ones on the television to look up to. Part of the problem surely lies in society’s general view that any man who wants to spend time with children must be viewed with at least some degree of scepticism.

This will only be countered by a major shift in this culture of suspicion. There’s another good reason for more male teachers. Apparently they lighten the atmosphere. An entirely female staffroom can be “very intense” says one literacy teaching specialist.

Best not go there eh?