‘ I know teachers who have quit due to parent behaviour’ – Bolton head
And another Bolton headteacher said that abuse of teaching staff by parents has become worse since the pandemic through the use of technology.
But both heads stressed that the majority of parents were wonderful.
A survey carried out by the National Association of Head Teachers showed the majority of school leaders nationally have reported being abused by parents in the past year.
Amanda HulmeHeadteacher of Claypool Primary School, Amanda Hulme, who is an NAHT representative for Bolton, said: “This is an issue across the whole of the borough unfortunately.
“In my 16-year career, I have only received abuse from parents a couple of times. Most parents are absolutely wonderful.
“There was one instance years ago where I experienced trolling and a parent saying things about me that weren’t true online.
“It’s understandable that parents get frustrated, at the end of the day we are supporting the most precious person in their lives. But this can tip into systems of abuse very easily.
“I think people forget that we’re people with feelings too. We don’t forget the things that are said once we go home in the evening, it stays with us.
“It also impacts our recruitment and retention rates, I know multiple teachers who have stepped down from their role due to vexatious complaints from parents.
“I co-chair the Bolton Primary Heads committee, we have developed a School, Parent and Carer Partnership agreement that sets out expectations from both sides in order to tackle the issue and ensure needs are being met.
“At the end of the day, we all want what’s best for the children.”
Karen Sudworth, head of Canon Slade School, said she was lucky that parents were extremely supportive of the school, meaning such incidents were rare.
A survey carried out by the National Association of Head Teachers showed the majority of school leaders nationally have reported being abused by parents in the past year.
More than two in five school leaders (42%) said they had banned parents from the school site in the past 12 months as a result of abuse – and 32 per cent reported parents to the police, according to the poll by school leaders’ union NAHT.
Mrs Sudworth told The Bolton News: “We’re very lucky at our school to have such amazing parents, so this abuse is not something that the staff here encounter often.
“However, nationally these figures are nothing new. Since the rise of the pandemic there has also been a rise in keyboard warriors and online abuse.
“We have a clear communications policy here at Canon Slade and a parent’s code of conduct that covers online and verbal abuse.
“We investigate cases of aggression towards teachers whenever they arise.
“A lot of the time with these cases, parents have had instant access to teachers whilst their child is in primary school.
“When the child moves to high school with over 2,000 other children, it can become more difficult to access teachers straight away.
“The change to high school is difficult, we make sure that it is as easy as possible for parents to get the necessary information that they require.”
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More than two in five school leaders (42%) said they had banned parents from the school site in the past 12 months as a result of abuse – and 32 per cent reported parents to the police, according to the poll by school leaders’ union NAHT.
A survey, of more than 1,600 NAHT members in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, found 82 per cent of school leaders said they had personally experienced abuse from parents within the past year.
The poll, carried out by the union in November 2024, suggested that 86 per cent of school leaders said abuse from parents had increased in the past three years.
(Image: Martini Archive)
Verbal abuse was the most common experience of abuse reported by school leaders in the past year (85%), followed by threatening behaviour (68%), online abuse (46%) and discriminatory language (22%).
One in 10 school leaders said they had suffered physical violence in the last 12 months while four per cent said they had experienced spitting, the survey found.
The poll exposed reports of trolling on social media and in parent groups on Facebook and WhatsApp, as well as instances of hate campaigns and harassment and intimidation, the union said.
Some leaders said the abuse had made them consider quitting the profession, while others were left suffering anxiety, depression and panic attacks.
Bolton West MP Phil Brickell said: “It’s understandable that frustration can run high when dealing with your child’s education as everyone wants the best for their child.
“However, aggression towards teacher’s whether verbal or physical can never be tolerated.
“It’s concerning to hear that this is happening across Bolton. If heads in Bolton West wish to take this up with me, they are welcome to contact me and we can discuss what can be done to remedy the situation.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT, said: “Some of the stories we are hearing about the appalling abuse leaders and their staff are suffering from parents are almost beyond belief.
“These are dedicated professionals, who work hard day in day out to deliver a first-rate education for children in often trying circumstances.
“No-one should have to suffer this sort of abuse in their place of work.
“It causes enormous distress for school leaders, their staff, and sometimes pupils, and is even contributing to decisions by good people to leave the profession at a time schools are facing a severe recruitment and retention crisis – directly affecting the quality of education children receive.”
More than a third (35%) of school leaders said they typically experienced abuse from parents every month, and 16 per cent said it happened weekly.
One senior leader told how “malicious and vexatious complaints made me want to leave my job and made me ill”.
Another said: “I felt very low and dreaded opening my emails … another member of the team said they might have to resign to avoid reading the emails.”
The NAHT is calling for the Government to send a clear signal to parents that abuse is unacceptable in schools.
The union wants ministers to conduct an urgent review of complaints procedures to deter a “vexatious” use of the existing system by parents.
When asked why school leaders are facing a rise in abuse from parents, Mr Whiteman said: “It’s hard to pinpoint a single reason for the increase.
“Schools are certainly seeing more pupils and parents struggling after a decade of under-investment under previous governments in social care, mental health services and support for children with special educational needs.
“This happened alongside cuts to welfare support, and we then had the impact of the pandemic and inflation.
“Parents need support but there is no excuse to take out their frustration on school staff doing their level best to help, often without the resources or access to the specialist services they need.”
The NAHT represents school leaders working across the education sector, including: headteachers, executive heads, trust chief executives, deputy and assistant heads, vice principals and school business leaders.
A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said: “Nobody should face violence or abuse in the workplace, including our incredible school staff who are vital to improving life chances for all children.
“As part of our Plan for Change, we are committed to turning the tide on poor behaviour, breaking down barriers to opportunity and ensuring every child can achieve and thrive.
“Our new regional improvement teams will work with schools to spread the highest standards of behaviour across our classrooms, and we are committed to providing access to a specialist mental health professional in every school.
“But we know there is more to do and are looking closely at how we can go further to support teachers and drive high and rising school standards for all our children.”
Source – INDIA TV
