We need male teachers...

Does anybody have similar stats for Canada???

The news that more than a quarter of England's primary schools do not have a single male teacher might not seem very alarming: in recent years we have come to think of this area of teaching as the preserve of women. In fact, the statistic is testament to a mighty failure of our education system, and one that needs to be put right as soon as possible.

The counties of Hertfordshire, Derbyshire, Essex, Surrey, Hampshire, Lancashire, Norfolk and Cumbria each have more than 100 schools with no men teachers. These findings, by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, follow research by the Government's Training and Development Agency, which also discovered that 83 per cent of parents were unhappy with this situation. How has it come about? There are many factors, but one of them is a grossly exaggerated suspicion of paedophiles – a fear that it is not safe to leave children alone with men. On the contrary: it is not only safe but also necessary to employ properly qualified men to teach children under 11. Boys in particular need male mentors, especially if they do not have one at home.

The conventional term for these mentors is "role model". Boys gain enormously from a sensible, clever and self-confident teacher who teaches them how to behave, in the broadest sense of the word. Male teachers, having been boys themselves, often have a better sense of the boundary between disruption and natural boyish exuberance than their female colleagues. This instinct can be essential for maintaining classroom discipline.

The balance between male and female pupils should be reflected, as far as possible, in the balance of teachers. The Government currently wastes a fortune employing millions of men in public sector non-jobs; if a proportion of them were retrained as primary school teachers, everyone would benefit.