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Original poster

Frenzied attack on teachers

130 replies

howmuchdidyousay · 03/04/2010 18:35

Several weeks ago I started this thread about a scheme the school were introducing whweby children who had not been absent in the half term were entitled to non-uniform on the last day of the half term and those that had been absent had to wear school uniform.
Well, Thursday was the last day and several parents really lost the plot!.Yelling and jabbing their fingers at teachers in the playground and in the classroom.One young teacher was in tears and another I saw was penned into a corner by a furious parent and looked absolutely terrified.The children looked frightened and I think everyone was very shaken up.It really was horrible to witness.
Much as I think this was the most stupid, unfair,ill thought out idea I have ever come across in a school.And I well understand the parents reactrion, I am not sure that there can ever be justification for treating teachers like this.

OP posts:
titch7069 · 03/04/2010 20:03

Then why didn't any of the parents make their feelings known at the time the school announced the scheme? If they had MAYBE the school would have made adjustments or abolished it. As it was it appears that the school thought noone objected. An alternative would be to send a letter in explaining that you don't agree with the scheme and would be keeping your child off that day, and tell them why. Violence negates any good point the parents might have had in their objection, sounds like most simply hadn't read the letter from the school.

tethersend · 03/04/2010 20:06

I'd argue with that if I thought the way the parents reacted was justified, titch- but I'm not because I don't.

I was arguing with the points you made which indicated your agreement with the policy itself- unless you don't?

MadamDeathstare · 03/04/2010 20:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DuelingFanjo · 03/04/2010 20:09

These schemes are ridiculous. What if a child is ill, they get 'punnished' even though it wasn't their fault they missed school.

The parents sound horrendous though!

gorionine · 03/04/2010 20:14

By titch7069 Sat 03-Apr-10 18:42:37
""I don't 'understand the parents reaction' sorry but the school was making a point about absenteeism (sp), get them young and make the point that turning up to school is a good thing.""

While I can see your point, it is still very unfair as usually children are not allowed in class if poorly and if they miss school without illness, they probably have very little to do with that decision too!

There is absolutely no excuse though for the behaviour of those parents!

titch7069 · 03/04/2010 20:21

When my dd1 attended school they did run scheme based round attendance. Every child received a certificate stating their attendance percentage, those that had been off but had;med cert/letter from specialist/hosp,letter from parent (for anything from being off sick to death of a family member,ie a GOOD reason for absence was not penalised. Those with above a certain percentage got a 'treat' of some kind. If you have registered your child at school they are supposed to attend unless there is good reason

feralgirl · 03/04/2010 20:21

The school's SLT have a legal responsibility to protect their staff from crap like this (there's some stuff here about it and a link to a model policy that defines threatening behaviour and what schools should do about it.

OP are you writing to the head and governers to report what you saw? And did you write the letter you discussed in your first thread? I wouldn't worry too much about whether the school think you're being a bit confrontational, schools often see parents as being customers that they need to keep satisfied.

Although on second thoughts, the SLT from yours are clearly well out of touch - having put in such an insane policy in the first place - so you might get a better response from the governers and a copy to the LEA as well as they are the employers of the staff concerned. Please don't think that you are rocking the boat or making trouble, the school's management have been doing a shit job and they need to know that.

MadamDeathstare · 03/04/2010 20:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tethersend · 03/04/2010 20:26

titch, the scheme you mention sounds far more sensible- however, if this is a primary school you are talking about, I would say it is still ridiculous. Primary-aged children are simply not in control of their own attendance and should therefore not be punished or rewarded.

Schemes (at secondary level) which are targeted at certain children and reward improvement are the most effective IME.

MangoTango · 03/04/2010 20:26

That is absolutely appalling and sends a terrible message to the children, quite apart from the fact that it scared them half to death! There are ways and means of registering that you don't agree with something in a civilised, polite manner and what you described sounded nothing like that! I wouldn't be at all surprised if teachers left the school as a result of this and moved to a school with more supportive parents or went on sick leave with stress. Poor teachers and poor children being born to parents like that!

feralgirl · 03/04/2010 20:32

It's not just down to the crappy parents though; the school's management should (a) never have made up the stupid policy in the first place and (b) should ensure that their staff are safe from threatening behaviour in their workplace.

The SLT should have been out and about to support their staff on Thursday, they must have known that there would've been some pissed off parents about and PR is all part of the head's job.

I am not in any way excusing the behaviour of these parents though; it's absolutely appalling and must have been awful for the kids to have been caught in the middle.

MillyR · 03/04/2010 20:33

I don't think 100% attendance is a positive goal to encourage children to aim for anyway.

Children should learn to recognise to take time off when it is sensible to do so, not go into school when too ill to learn or when contagious.

As for parents behaving in a way that they wouldn't do at work - I am sure that is true of some bad parents, as shown by what has happened at the OP's school. It is also true that some bad teachers have the opportunity to treat small children in a way that they could not get away with if their students were adults.

titch7069 · 03/04/2010 20:38

tethersend, my overall point (which i have been making badly by responses) is that people expect schools to almost bring up their dc's yet when something they don't like is brought in/enforced they resort to violence to make their point rather than reason. Then they wonder why their little angels have no respect for them or anyone in authority. A letter announcing the scheme must have gone out prior to the day, so why did parents wait until the day and then go mad? If I had not bothered to say anything prior then I would have to let my child with less than perfect attendance go in with her uniform on and 'suck it up'. I still think the basic premise isn't altogether bad, children need to learn early that there are some things you just have to do, whether you like it or not. Or does everyone here believe that they should be able to do whatever they want, whenever they want?

LeQueen · 03/04/2010 20:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tethersend · 03/04/2010 20:46

You haven't been making your point badly at all, titch

I am a teacher, and have often dealt with violent parents; (Iteach children with behavioural difficulties) I just think that the causes of poor attendance/behaviour are far more complex than blanket schemes such as this allow for.

I completely agree that the complaints should have been made before the day; but not all parents take an interest in these things until they realise that it will directly affect their child (they are wrong to do this BTW- but it happens).

I agree that children should learn to take responsibility; but this should be for their own actions, not the actions of their parents IYSWIM. At primary level, their absence is the responsibility of their parents, not them.

tethersend · 03/04/2010 20:47

LeQ- are you in the market for a new job or something?

pranma · 03/04/2010 20:56

It is never acceptable for parents to abuse teachers especially in the hearing of the pupils.The reason is irrelevant.

tatt · 03/04/2010 21:01

it doesn't sound as though there was "violence" - aggressive behaviour but not violence.

Of course its wrong to be so aggressive to the teachers and there are other ways of making a protest. I would have taken it up with the head and the PA if our school had tried such a daft scheme. However IME heads can continue with daft schemes despite objections.

If teachers had a bit more training in dealing with angry people maybe they wouldn't over-react as they have had on this thread. They are adults, they shouldn't be terrified of a finger.

tethersend · 03/04/2010 21:30

I haven't overreacted, tatt...

titch7069 · 03/04/2010 21:34

and i'm not a teacher - well i home school due to no choice but i'm not a teacher by profession

claig · 03/04/2010 21:39

I think the anger of the parents is a result of the harmful discriminatory policy instituted by the school. I think the school has learned a valuable lesson and will reflect on its policy and take heed of the reaction that it engendered in the parents.

Jaquelinehyde · 03/04/2010 22:01

I think we can all agree that this scheme is without doubt a pile of shite!!

However, I can not understand why any sane, reasonable person would resort to such nasty agressive behaviour, especially in front of children.

I am disgusted that anyone on here thinks that it's OK. Backing a teacher into a corner and using intimidation to get a point across is a disgrace. No excuse is good enough.

claig · 03/04/2010 22:07

I think the people were no longer reasonable, they were driven mad with anger due to the unjust policy that sought to humiliate their children and make them stick out like a sore thumb. If the school is run by a wise head then it will change its policy, if not then as the old song goes "there will be trouble ahead".

Original poster
howmuchdidyousay · 03/04/2010 22:12

One of the parents complaining is a psychiatrist BTW

OP posts:
MillyR · 03/04/2010 22:15

Howmuchdidyousay, what is going to happen over this? Is the school taking any action over this, or writing to parents about their behaviour?

I would be very annoyed if the school did not make any steps towards stopping scenes like this in front of the children.

I have seen a parent screaming at a TA in the playground and it was very disturbing for the children. The school did write to the parent and lay down the law IYSWIM.