To send a picture of these rude boys to their school?

[TheGreatPotato]

I've just been to pick my DC up from nursery and there was a small crowd of teens, maybe aged 12-14 standing where I was parked. They were shouting and swearing very loudly and repeatedly at each other which my poor DC had to witness. I lost it when one of them shouted a horrible racial slur right next to my child. I said 'Please go and swear somewhere else', to which they then started heckling me!
As they walked away I took a photo as we were directly outside their school and they were in school uniform. Can I send this to my head teacher, or am I being unreasonable in that I shouldn't have taken a photo of them?

Do it. Most schools drill into their pupils that when in uniform they represent the school, they will be disciplined for this.

I’m a high school teacher. We would absolutely deal with this. We take complaints from the public about our students while in uniform very seriously.

Yes I've done this before and the child involved was dealt with

I've reported unruly teens to school twice - the first time when a bunch spat at my colleague and I from their school bus one morning - luckily most of it hit my hat but still. School were fab - they couldn't ID the kids but the bus driver could. My hat was dry cleaned (it was a fairly posh felt thingie as we were off to an outside event later that day, in winter, in Wales. I bloody froze without it) & the kids had in-school suspensions. The bus company were also pleased as it backed up what their driver had been saying about inappropriate behaviour.

The second time, a group from two of the local secondaries were damaging the war memorial. First school id'd the culprits from their distinctive coats, went ballistic at them and they were punished. Head of 2nd school refused to do anything and got their ears burned by my apoplectic response.

But shouting racial slurs? As PP said, they aren't simply 'misbehaving' but breaking the law, amd no school wants that. Hopefully the head will respond appropriately.

Yes, please do.

Schools will 100% want to know about this kind of behaviour in uniform.

It's not illegal to take a photo of anyone in a public place whatever they're doing, the threats are irrelevant

I've phoned two different schools about behaviour of pupils and got a positive response each time. I didn't have photos and I have no idea what came of it

I can't think why it would be unreasonable

It’s not a crime to take photos of anyone.
Law
Police actively seek photos / footage from the public to help them identify culprits, and minors engaging in anti-social behaviour are no exception to this.

Not exactly the same, but we had kids in uniform throw rocks and smash our window when we were out. We have CCTV and sent the footage to their primary school initially.
The head mistress said it occurred outside school hours and was nothing to do with their school, despite the fact the kids were walking home from the school at the time- in their uniforms! The head mistress was very dismissive, wouldn't contact the parents and left me no choice but to contact the police!

Do you ever do the opposite? My mother is the opposite of a complainer and if she sees teens being nice or helpful she contacts the school about that too.

As long as you don't publish the photographs in an editorial manner, you can take photos of who you like in public.

Send them in.

From the other side as a parent of a child just about to finish being a teen if my son was behaving that way in public I'd want it reported and to find out.

And when the school had finished putting a flee in his ear I'd ram a bomb up his arse!

Seriously though - my ds knew if I ever found out he'd behaved so appallingly he'd be for it!

Good for you OP, let us know what happens.