Schools demand national campaign against parents who are abusive to school staff

[noblegiraffe]

A survey suggests that 30% of classroom teachers and 75% of headteachers have received verbal abuse from parents this year, a marked increase on before the pandemic.

The North East Schools network would like to see a national NHS-style campaign to highlight the issue and to say that abuse against school staff is never appropriate. Given that there are many public places that have signs up saying 'abuse against staff will not be tolerated' it always surprises me that this is not already a thing in schools.

Interestingly the article notes "While most interactions with parents were positive, there were small groups of parents “willing to be abusive towards school staff” – including complaints straight to external government agencies.
These bodies, such as Ofsted, the Department for Education and the Education and Skills Funding Agency “should only get involved once the school has completed their complaints procedure”."

Perhaps all those on here who rush to write 'complain to Ofsted' about some school incident should take note that they are part of the problem.

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/schools-demand-national-campaign-against-abusive-parents/

That just sounds like they want to disempower parents from complaining about legitimate issues. If the external bodies didn't want such complaints they could always insist on the complainant following the school's process first

They do.

I'm pretty sure that anyone on here who thinks that all parents complaining to Ofsted have legitimate concerns will have seen newspaper sad face stories from parents who are publicly shaming a school because their kid wasn't allowed to wear trainers.

Do you think those parents are not also the type to go to Ofsted with their spurious nonsense?

I'm sure some parents do complain with spurious nonsense. I'm assuming they fall into the large category of complaints that Ofsted doesn't investigate?

Having a complaint made against you is upsetting and stressful, even if the complaint is a load of bollocks. And even if you are battle-hardened and not bothered it's still time-consuming to deal with.

Of course. But shrugging shoulders and saying it's fine is ignoring an increasing tendency for parents to do this.

I'm pretty sure that anyone on here who thinks that all parents complaining to Ofsted have legitimate concerns will have seen newspaper sad face stories from parents who are publicly shaming a school because their kid wasn't allowed to wear trainers.

The only person they are shaming if they do that is themselves. Is there anyone who takes those newspaper articles seriously? It’s not abusive, it’s just pathetic and makes them look a bit thick.

Complaints to Ofsted may be misguided, petty, stupid and inappropriate but unless accompanied by abuse they are not abusive.

By focussing on the Ofsted complaint aspect there is a risk that actual abuse of school staff will continue to be ignored and downplayed.

I just don't see how it's abusive. I think it's a stretch to suggest seeking help from an exterior agency could be classified this way.

because the school had given the OP a parents evening appointment that they couldn't make, and wouldn't lay on another parents evening for her.

How ridiculous that a parent can’t negotiate with the school to have a parents evening, or opportunity to discuss their child’s progress, that the parent can actually attend. No it’s not something for Ofsted but if the school can’t find any available time to speak to a parent I can understand the parents frustration.

So what if there’s an increasing tendency for parents to leap to an Ofsted complaint. It’s their time they are wasting, to coin a phrase….

The only person they are shaming if they do that is themselves. Is there anyone who takes those newspaper articles seriously? It’s not abusive, it’s just pathetic and makes them look a bit thick.

Newspapers should refuse to print them. Suggesting that it is fine for headteachers and schools to be named and shamed in the press because the article is stupid is not on.

Ofsted are very clear that parents should complain directly to schools before complaining to them, and they are also clear that they do not get involved in resolving individual disputes:

If you’ve complained to the school and the problem has not been resolved, you can complain to Ofsted. This does not mean that Ofsted will then inspect the school.
They will record your complaint, and may use the information you’ve provided to help them decide what areas to focus their next inspection on.

Ofsted considers complaints about things that affect the whole school rather than individuals.

Ofsted cannot:

• resolve issues between you and the school
• ask the school to respond directly to your complaint or take action on it
• change the outcome of a complaint
• change the school’s complaints process because of a complaint

It is part of an increasing trend to act in an antagonistic manner towards school staff. It shouldn't be dismissed as irrelevant because it's not shouting in a teacher's face.

A national campaign on abuse of school staff including more schools having those types of signs and barriers that protect reception staff would be great.

I think another part would need to be making the complaints procedure clearer and written for parents in clear simple English, not other professionals in jargon.

I'm also a school governor, and I've had to flag that the only place for a parents' to find the complaints procedure is the complaints policy under the 'Statutory Information' section in a long list of policies on a site with no search function. I'm not surprised parents might go other routes when things aren't clearly signposted or when written in dense language. This school has had a lot of issues with clear communication to parents (latest one that made me laugh was 'this is calendered as a physical event' to discuss the date of an in-person parents' evening) in an area with widely reported low literacy and higher than average number of parents who struggle with English.

Arguing against what?

no one is arguing against it being wrong to abuse teacher?

But going to Ofsted or recommending it is not abusive in itself.

And people who keep claiming it is and telling people they are helping cause abuse just smack of people trying to shame parents from ever going to Ofsted.

If you label complaints to Ofsted, innately, abusive so are labelling anyone going to Ofsted as abusive. Even when warranted.

Why would you want to do that? What does that gain?

Having a complaint made against you is upsetting and stressful, even if the complaint is a load of bollocks. And even if you are battle-hardened and not bothered it's still time-consuming to deal with.

I think people underestimate just how distressing it is to receive a formal complaint even when you know you’ve done nothing wrong, or haven’t had the opportunity to try and resolve things directly. It takes a lot of time and emotional energy which could be better spent actually fixing whatever the problem is in the first place.

How are they shaming a school? Anyone reasonable who reads it will shrug and say “well, there’s a uniform policy, stick to it”. Sure, there’ll be a few btl numpties chipping in about it being a disgrace the little angles not aloud to were trainers but it’s still not abusive unless someone threatens abuse. Being too dim to support a school’s published policies isn’t abusive.

You seem to be saying no one can criticise schools for anything, ever. That’s a tad unrealistic.

Any kind of abuse and / or aggressive behaviour against teachers is unacceptable. It is incredible that we have come to a place where grown adults in charge of children think it is OK to behave in such a disgusting fashion. I know is is a minority of parents but most teachers will have faced some pretty horrific behaviour.
I am old and my parents were pretty hands off - 80s and 90s. I am not saying that was ideal but it did instill a respect for teachers and the idea ( for me at least) that I was responsible for my own behavior. No way my mum or dad would have had any interest in me complaining about detention etc.
If you have a complaint about anything if you were sane and reasonable you would follow normal procedures - eg in a school situation by booking an appointment with the Head of year / headteacher etc. I can't help feeling that if parents are ( inappropriately) contacting Ofsted etc then this be sucking time and resources even further from a stretched education system.

You seem to be saying no one can criticise schools for anything, ever.

Nope.

Lets hope that you are never on the end of being abused because someone things that you deserve it.

Yes it is.

But it’s not abusive. Especially if the parent thinks it’s the right cause of action.

Having a complaint raised against you is not, in itself abusive. If it was then anyone raising a complaint would be abusive. Even if they are right to do so.

Something happening to you that is stressful and upsetting doesn’t automatically mean you are being abused. It can be part of abuse. But not always.So back to the point.

People recommending Ofsted, even incorrectly, are not part of the problem. The problem is the people who are abused staff.

Abusers (however they are displaying abuse) are always responsible for the abuse. Always

People recommending Ofsted, even incorrectly, are not part of the problem.

And I disagree. So there we are.

Right, ok.
To pick up on the PALS analogy made upthread, do you think it’s antagonistic to approach PALS with a complaint about the NHS? Or the Practice Manager at a GP?
It’s not antagonistic to go to a higher body about a service you receive. It’s quite ridiculous that you are digging your heels in about this aspect of the report and saying that parents shouldn’t complain and that the very act of complaining is abusive.

It is part of an increasing trend to act in an antagonistic manner towards school staff. It shouldn't be dismissed as irrelevant because it's not shouting in a teacher's face.

I hear what you’re saying but schools are pretty good at antagonising parents too. What do parents do when they’ve raised concerns, met with the HT, written formally (with no response), and issues continue to arise. Schools and teachers need to be accountable and external bodies form part of that accountability process.

Ffsnotaconference

Using Ofsted as a threat is abusive.

I do think PP raises a good point.

If parents having issues don’t know the complaints procedure. Lots of parents on MN from all different places, don’t know the correct complaints procedure. There’s not clear expected timelines etc

maybe what would help is a campaign to make it clear what the correct way is. What the expectations or the school responding are. What the timelines should be.

Truly abusive people won’t care. But surely that would reduce the amount of incorrect complaints, where the parent genuinely thinks they are correct?

Complaints are fine, it’s the abuse that teachers do not deserve.