Cumbria's secondary school workforce has become much more female dominated over the last decade, data shows.

Of the 2,102 secondary school teachers in Cumbria whose gender was listed in the School Workforce Census last year, 728 were male.

That meant men made up just 35 per cent of the workforce, compared with 40 per cent a decade earlier. The proportion of male teachers across all of the area's schools – including primary, nursery and special schools – was even lower, at 26%. The figures exclude teachers employed directly by the local authority, who are not assigned to a particular school.

A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “We are working to increase the diversity of the teaching workforce, and have improved pathways into the profession with the aim of a diverse workforce that supports the progression and retention of all teachers, regardless of gender.”

She added that teacher pay is increasing, bringing the department closer to its aim of having a £30,000 starting salary by 2022. "We moved closer to that this year by introducing the biggest pay rise since 2005 with above-inflation pay rises for every teacher in the country," she said.