WOMEN teachers are missing out on top posts because of family commitments, a survey has shown.

According to a survey published by the General Teaching Council for England (GTC), putting family first is still keeping many female teachers out of leadership positions.

The poll showed 26 per cent of women were likely to say factors such as childcare or caring for a relative had limited their career development, compared to seven per cent of men.

Of the part-time teaching population, which is more than 97 per cent female, only one in five is in a promoted role.

And, although women make up more than two-thirds of the overall teaching population, they are under-represented in senior posts in schools, according to the survey.

General Teaching Council chief executive Carol Adams said: "Whatever happened to job sharing for management posts?

"Schools are not benefiting from the full talents and potential leadership skills of a significant number of women teachers and this may include missing the chance to develop future women heads."

Jane Spencer, assistant headteacher at Elgar Technology College, said she had encountered the problems first-hand after having recently had two children of her own.

"I think it's obviously a problem - the statistics speak for themselves. I do appreciate how difficult it can be to juggle these things," she said.

"I did return to work part-time for a term, but for some of these senior positions, it's so hard to do them on a part-time basis.

"One of the demands of leadership is that you are there all the time to tackle problems and deal with things as they arise."

Ms Spencer said Elgar Technology College had been particularly understanding of her situation and had helped her get back to work, but admitted some teachers in different schools might not have the same help.

She added: "I think the way primary schools are structured they are more able to do that, with things like headteachers sharing a job, but there is no denying that it is hard."