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/

There has been a significant increase in FII allegations. It is more common than you think and a growing problem. In Cerebra’s study, NHS practitioners were the most common source.

I've now read the study and they are based on a surveymonkey study where 79 respondents claim an accusation of FII by an educational setting, although it is not clear what represents an accusation of FII.

While it is clearly a concern, and the respondents' descriptions of the impact on their lives is particularly upsetting, it doesn't appear to be common?

@stomachameleon is no longer called munchausen by proxy. It is FII (and slightly different PP which is Perplexing Presentations).

Unfounded FII allegations are becoming more common. Especially in the SEN world. I have worked with 2 dozen-ish families with FII allegations. All have later been proven unfounded. Many of them were made following parental complaints about SEN.

The vast majority of FII allegations are unfounded. And 50% are made in response to a parental complaint. Clearly very rarely the FII allegation is correct but some allegations are made to punish families when professionals have no real concerns which is an abuse of power. Once an allegation is made it is often an MDT investigation (although scarily I have come across it not being), but many are not before the allegation has been made.

So, you won’t solve spurious parental complaints until you also solve spurious FII allegations, and vice versa. The issues are intertwined.

The study is undertaken by one of the leading charities supporting disabled children and leading professionals in FII. So yes it is a survey but the report is considered sound. As the paper states, there has been a significant increase. I didn’t say it was common. I said it was more common than you think because it is.

I've got a background which means I can point to several errors in the survey design which render the figures unreliable.

However, I'm not disagreeing that it's an issue. I just don't think that it is as significant an issue as 30% of teachers and 75% of headteachers reporting experiencing verbal abuse from parents this year that means that any campaign about abuse against teachers should include FII accusations against parents for symmetry.

I'm sorry, but I think the parents of children with SEN and parents of children of SEN accused of FII detracts from the purpose of this thread.

As both a teacher and parent of a child with SEN, I can sympathise with both. SEN funding and knowledge of SEN by teachers is shocking. And is a massive failing on part of the government and LAs.

But abuse of teachers from parents generally isn't from parents of children with SEN with genuine concerns. Generally it's the shitty parents that argue little Johnny shouldn't be in isolation for threatening to slit their teacher's throat because "freedom of expression" or "He was just expressing his feelings because he was upset he wasn't allowed on tiktok during lesson time"

I am sure Luke Clements will be happy to discuss any concerns you have about the validity of their work. He is quite open to discussing matters with parents and professionals.

As I posted, you won’t solve the issue of spurious complaints from parents, which I agree is an issue, without also looking at spurious allegations in the other direction. They are intertwined.

I am sure Luke Clements will be happy to discuss any concerns you have about the validity of their work. He is quite open to discussing matters with parents and professionals.

He should probably have got a mathematician or someone with a background in clinical research to look over his survey before sending it out.

As I posted, you won’t solve the issue of spurious complaints from parents, which I agree is an issue, without also looking at spurious allegations in the other direction. They are intertwined.

I disagree. As other posters have said, they are two separate issues. Unless you think that the people who have had false allegations of FII made against them are the ones verbally or physically abusing teachers?

I have raised two concerns of FII in my 20 year career and for both I had evidence and lots of concerns. It wasn't a decision I took lightly and my accusations were polite, professional and confidential. They are nowhere near akin to those verbally abusing school staff.

As someone who works in this area I think they are interlinked. No, I don’t think the majority of parents who have had false allegations made against them are abusive, but it does lead to a breakdown of trust that spreads through wider social circles and that leads to conflict between home and school in other parents too.

I have witnessed it happen in a school. The HT made an unfounded FII allegation. It led to a breakdown in the relationship between not only that nuclear family but several other families in the school (in a close knit community with many related families) and that caused friction and an increase in complaints, not always delivered politely, from other parents.

Then those aren’t the FII allegations I am posting about. I am specifically posting about those that are not based on evidence and the 50% made in response to a complaint.

@spinningplate I don't think they are intertwined and as a teacher and a mum of children with sen that's the first I have heard of it.
It does sound worthy of a thread of its own though.

@fuckityfuckityfuckfuck I agree.

You really are reading a different thread to the rest of us.

As before, failures to follow the Equality Act, illegal off-rolling, illegal register markings of mental health conditions as unauthorised absence, unlawful exclusions and failure to take best endeavours to meet EHCP plans. Plus an explosion in the use of extended internal isolation, for petty non-compliance, against the British Psychological Society's advice, given the risk of psychological harm. This is not a niche issue. My point is the explosion in complaints accompanies an explosion in the poor treatment of children.

I don't think so. I am asking what is happening in schools to cause a sharp increase in complaints. It would be logical to ask what is happening that is leading to a breakdown in home/school relationhips.

To be honest my feeling is a campaign like this is treating the symptom rather than the cause. Put the money into improving staffing levels, creating smaller schools & meeting the needs of children with SEN (I do appreciate that cost of a campaign like this is a drop in the ocean to what is needed to improve the schools of today).. No campaign will reduce the frustration about these issues that is causing parents to become upset.

I do not think it is right a teacher should have to put up with abuse from a parent. But I also do not think it is right that a parent should be made guilty for complaining when their child is not receiving a good standard of education or care e.g. I did complain (without abuse) when ds1 did not have a science teacher for 2 years at secondary (specialist school if that makes a difference which it really shouldn't). I acknowledge that it was very difficult for the school with long-term sick staff members and national science teacher shortage but that does not mean it was a situation that I should have just accepted & the school to be fair acknowledged this.

As PPs have said, adding to a culture where it is not safe or legitimate to question or speak out, whether as a parent or a staff member, is not healthy in a democratic society. Promoting mutual respect, openness and compassion across home school relationships is the way to go.

What about a campaign saying pupils shouldn’t threaten or attack their teachers? I think this is just as valid.

Speaking out and questioning is very different to threatening and attacking.

@Rappelletoi

There is a difference between speaking out and calling a teacher a ‘meddling butch’ because they phoned to ask why a child isn’t completing homework.

You actually have no clue how it is on the other side of the table at parents evenings and you don’t seem to care.

There isn’t a culture of silence. That is laughable. There is currently a culture of abuse, accusation and violence towards teacher that can be evidenced every day by the stupid crap people post on school threads.

If you can’t accept that most staff in school are doing their best in a highly pressured, Under funded situation then that is a you problem. That doesn’t mean there is a culture of silence.

And before you go off on problems for SEND parents. Have you stopped at all to consider that isn’t aimed at you. SEND parents are not the ones send threat, swearing, shouting, creating social media campaigns against staff. In my experience it is mostly very wealthy, professional parents who barely see their kids (and are therefore wining them over by giving them everything they want) and those who don’t discipline at all at home, or even pay attention to their kids because they are so selfishly wrapped up in themselves.

Case in point the parent who took her son out for two weeks to in Turkey last Feb and allowed him to dye his hair bright Orange and then started screaming at the head for asking him to dye it back. She stood in reception and screamed and ranted about her rights and liberties until the police came to take her away. And then posted all over social (forgetting to add that she’d taken him on holiday and that she’d behaved like a mad woman) and got loads of support. I think in that instance the parent should be banned from site.

Parents shouting at teachers is a symptom of the way schools are ran nowadays. The point a PP made about SEN provisions being so woefully lacking and the wider impact of that makes a lot of sense.

Children in school are in conditions that wouldn't be accepted in a workplace and they don't have the option to leave. 200 calls a day are made to CAHMS during term time and 5 during easter/xmas/summer holidays. I can imagine why parents are reaching the end of their teather with schools. Schools have so much power over the dcs life and when they're actively harming your dc emotions are going to be running high.

The OP has sought to link the two, her opening post literally says people who suggest contacting the regulator 'are part of the problem'.

Children are in school in conditions that wouldn't be accepted in a workplace and they don't have the option to leave. 200 calls a day are made to CAHMS during term time

Give an example of a condition at school that would be accepted in a work place.

Putting up with racism and having the person making racist comments to you still attending school and continuing to say those words - even with video evidence. In a workplace you'd raise a grievance and hr would manage it. Hr wouldn't be excusing it.

Getting battered by someone in the workplace and the police offloading the resolution to your boss?

Putting your hand up to go to the loo and hoping your boss says yes?