HEADTEACHER posts are being filled in Swindon primary schools, despite a national shortage of applicants for the jobs.

A number of headteachers in the borough left their jobs at the end of the summer term, but Swindon Council has filled all these posts ahead of the new term which starts next week.

A new study by Education Data Surveys claims that more than a third of the primary headships advertised nationally between September last year and March this year could not be filled.

The reasons given for the problem include the amount of admin work faced by headteachers, and the pressures they have because of the schools' inspection system.

Swindon branch secretary of the ATL teaching union, Phil Baker, said that although places were being filled in the area, there were not many applicants putting themselves forward for headships.

He said that additional tasks for heads such as attending governors' meetings and the paperwork that goes with the job are off-putting for those who would otherwise want to move up the ranks.

"There's not much financial incentive, the additional pay for being a head in a primary is not as significant as it might be," said Mr Baker.

"There are undoubted pressures on heads, especially in small schools, where they also have to teach, then do the paperwork after school hours, which makes a very unattractive package for increasing numbers of people.

"While I haven't heard of any unfilled posts in Swindon, not many people are going for the headships and they have to choose from a small group of applicants."

He said that primary school headteachers often end up as the scapegoat of a bad Ofsted report, as there are fewer layers of staff for any school failings to be hidden behind. And additional pay on offer to the best teachers through the advanced skills scheme was keeping more people in the classroom, rather than them moving into managerial roles to boost their income.

Swindon Council spokeswoman Elizabeth Richmond said: "We are aware there is a shortage of people putting themselves forward for headship nationally.

"At the moment this does not affect Swindon primary schools as all of our primary headteacher posts are filled, but this does not mean we will escape the problem in future.

"We have taken a proactive approach and formed a strategy group to look at options for the recruitment and retention of future school leaders."

The equivalent study of secondary headships found that the position there had improved, falling from 22 per cent being unfilled in the same period of the previous year, to 19 per cent.