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Only 38 per cent of English state secondary schools are led by women, this compares with a teaching workforce where women dominate at 62 per cent.
The University of Nottingham is now looking to help close this gap and is holding its first event designed to encourage women into secondary school headship.
Dr Kay Fuller, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership in the School of Education at the University said: “At the current rate of progress it will take until 2040 for the proportion of women in headship to match the proportion of women in teaching. We need to change this.”
‘Pass it on’
On Thursday July 14, 40 women from Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire county schools will make up the first cohort of a new Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded initiative designed to share research findings, further develop relationships and provide networking opportunities.
Recent research from, Dr Fuller, suggests ways women might share ideas to enable advancement in their careers. They will be encouraged to ‘pass it on’.
The aim is to increase the proportion of women headteachers leading schools in Nottingham from the current 31 per cent (a rise from 19 per cent in 2001) and in Nottinghamshire from 26 per cent (a rise from 16 per cent in 2001).
#WomenEd
Dr Fuller will be joined by speakers Carol Jones (Association of School and College Leaders) and #Womened (social media based network for women in education) co-founder Hannah Wilson. Both organisations were cited in the recent education white paper alongside some of Dr Fuller’s co-authored research. Janet Sheriff, headteacher at the Prince Henry Grammar School in Otley, Yorkshire completes the line-up.
Dr Fuller will share findings from three research projects. She hopes these 40 women will form the basis of a local network that will support women into headship.
If you would be interested in hearing about future events such as this, please email educationresearchstaff@nottingham.ac.uk.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with a “distinct” approach to internationalisation, which rests on those full-scale campuses in China and Malaysia, as well as a large presence in its home city.’ (Times Good University Guide 2016). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and was named University of the Year for Graduate Employment in the 2017 The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide. It is ranked in the world’s top 75 by the QS World University Rankings 2015/16, and 8th in the UK for research power according to the Research Excellence Framework 2014. It has been voted the world’s greenest campus for four years running, according to Greenmetrics Ranking of World Universities.
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest-ever fundraising campaign, is delivering the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news…