ROOM AT THE TOP? Katie Tomlinson Head of Primary, Sri KDU International School
It is no secret that the
teaching profession is overwhelmingly female yet, in the UK, male teachers are almost twice as likely to hold leadership positions as their female colleagues. Within international settings, statistics demonstrate even less equity.
According to data from the Academy of International School Heads (AISH), over the past decade, the percentage of female heads at international schools has only increased from 27% to 33%. There are other statistics that are even less positive. In the academic year 2021 / 2022, 18.5% of FOBISIA member school Principals (Heads of School) will be female. This statistic remains unchanged from the previous year. Diverse experiences and perspectives contribute significantly to fostering innovation, developing communication and better decision making. Organisations where the leadership team equitably represents the workforce perform more effectively than those which are less diverse. With this in mind, a commitment to ensuring diversity within the leadership demographic should be a high priority for schools and yet the gender representation
statistics for women in these positions in schools do not evidence this.
Who are the leaders?
In leadership positions globally, white males are the only group of people to find themselves growing in number as they rise – all other groups decrease in representation as roles become more senior. This article is not written to bemoan the performance of existing school leaders. There are some excellent Principals, CEOs and Heads of School across the world who are doing incredible work with their schools and students. Yet, I would argue that there are many excellent potential leaders amongst the workforce who may not have equitable access to leadership opportunities due to their gender or race. Schools, particularly those in international settings, promote themselves as diverse and inclusive to attract a broad and varied student role. This should also be reflected in the leadership demographic.
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