Do teachers/headteachers use parental bullying as an excuse to get away with poor standards/leadership?

[MinnieEggs]

Am interested in this. Who defines (indeed is there a definition?) of what parental bullying is? Is there a benchmark?

Don't really understand the question? Can you explain?

backstory needed please.

But I doubt it.

How are the two even connected? Confused

Maybe OP means parents go in and "bully" (terribly overused term) headteachers into not taking action in certain circumstances?

do you mean do some headteachers try to intimidate parents who have a justifiable compliant about their school?

sorry - complaint

Sorry to have taken so long to get back on this (minor crisis!) Bucharest has hit the nail on the head.

A HT is alleging that a number of parents of a particular cohort are 'bullying her'. There have been constant complaints regarding the standards of teaching in the school in particular in relation to one teacher who has taight the cohort for 2 years on the trot. HT has insisted over this period that action will be/is being taken and nothing is being done. More parents are complaining and the HT and Chair of Governors are having and have had over the last 18 moinths, official complaint procedural meeting with parents.

This is absolutely not bullying. It seems too easy to use bullying as an excuse for hiding all sorts of leadership inadequacies.

So, is this practice commonplace and how on earth do you go about proving you have a valid argument as a parent without being accused of bullying?

dont know quite how a cohort can have a number of parents?? but it depends how the complaining is being done really? but if it is just legitimate complaints about standards etc.. and nothing is being done then it does seem very odd for a HT to phrase it as "bullying" - I think the particular parents need to have a meeting with the chair of governors to clear the air and get action on the complaints if justified?

I think OP is using cohort to mean year group, a common usage in schools. So a number of parents from a particular year group are unhappy about a particular teacher. As long as they are making their complaints in a civilized and not overly personal manner, and following school procedure, then there is no reason to call this bullying. They should not expect, however, to be privy to the details of what the HT is doing about the situation. If they feel that nothing has been done and the problem still persists, then there is recourse to the CoG of course, but again, they need to be aware that they are not entitled to be kept informed of confidential matters relating to staff. CoG's role is purely to ensure that correct school procedures are in place and being followed, not to interfere directly in what is an operational matter for the school leadership.

Agreed, but surely the only way to see that something has been done about a complaint is to ask what is being done?, surely like any complaint about anything it is the parents right to know what is being done to remedy - obviously not personal details on staff of course. It is the right of the parent surely to be privy to what the HT is doing to remedy the problem.

Themumsnot is correct re incorrect (as it turns out) definition of cohort.

The issues re indivual children have been taken up with teacher in question and promises have been made to action. After between 6 & 8 months no the same issues keep cropping up. Some parents have escalated to HT, others, I think, are not at the stage yet. Some have proceeded with an official complaint and have had complaint meetings with both HT & CoG in attendance (and minutes taken by school secretary btw). Action plans have been put in place etc. etc. but there has been no change and no progress made at all. Now 18 months on the unhappy parents are sadly increasing and the teacher must feel under pressure. The HT is backing her teacher despite parents arguments being supported by evidence.
In one case, parents have lodged another official complaint and is set to attend another meeting with both HT & CoG.

Now the parents of this particular year group are being accused of bullying behaviour.

Parents are frustrated at lack of communication and no visible action being taken but it appears HT & CoG are treating complaints as being resolved!

Parents of this year group are becoming labelled the 'vocal minority' but problems within now seem to deep rooted and are not going away.

CVA 98 btw if that tells anybody anything.

Bullying and harassment, whether in schools or other workplaces, is assessed from the point of view of those on the receiving end of the behaviour.

Just because you do not know what the HT, CoG are doing - on confidential matters where you do not have the right to know - does not mean they are doing wrong. You say however that you have knowledge of an action plan that has not been followed - does this concern your child and have you followed up?

When you have exhausted the school's grievance procedures on the complaint that is relevant to your child, then you can go to OFSTED.

Reading between the lines of the posts, you have a teacher who parents do not believe is doing a good job.
Your complaints may well have been taken seriously by the head and Chair of Governors but for all the right reasons relating to confidentiality the actions that have been taken will remain confidential to the head and the teacher involved. So for instance they may well be being supported to try and improve their teaching. Regretably the education sector is not like normal industries. If someone was not performing in industry they would be shown the door in 6 months, in education that does not happen partially because of the power of the unions. The teacher will quite rightly be supported to improve and it would be typically at least 12 months plus before the head teacher would consider starting competency procedings against the teacher.
That is no comfort to any of the parents involved but is what typically will happen. The comments about the parents bullying the head is to my way of thinking an excuse and somewhat pathetic. The head is paid a good salary to take the flack in such circumstances and if there is an action plan which is not being followed well there is no excuse for progress not being made.
I would push the formal complaints through the process ASAP to the head and then governing body. Only when you have exhausted the GB route can you realistically go to the LA (director of chidlren services) with a complaint about both the failing teacher and the lack of progress by the school to resolve it.

It looks like the HT is taking the proper steps in moving towards improving/moving through competency proceedings. As others have said, Education is a funny business and not like ordinary business and the HT has no right to give the confidential information that is happening between the teacher and the HT. The CoG will know most of the information on what is being done. In a funny way, the parents are probably helping to move the competency along. However, what I think the HT is complaining about is that a lot of time is being taken up on the whole issue of answering letters of complaint, having meetings with parents, meetings with CoG on top of what would be required to move a teacher through competency which is tedious and time consuming in its own right. Also, it depends on how the parents are going about the process and the types of behaviours they are showing during these meetings and letters.

But to repeat, the HT has NO right to telling the parents what is happening between the teacher and the proceedings. Even the staff of the school have no right to that information. If the HT did tell everyone, the teacher could have recourse against the school that could mean him/her staying there even longer or the school having to pay for a teacher even though they are not in school.

OK. Can see what you are saying re competency proceedings. Surely it would be in the best interests of all concerned for the school to be a little more communicative (transparent) regarding this. If parents are unaware of timescales then it is inevitable that they will begin to become impatient and more complaints are brought and so on and so on.

Fwiw, re parental complaints that have been made regarding issues individual to their child and who have met with HT and CoG (HT will not see anybody at initial stages of complaint without HT present - this has always been the case not just since these issues have arisen) - deadlines, action plans, further meetings arranged etc. etc., the complaint is being considered by HT & C0G as resolved. This is because parents want what is being offered so accept terms. However, it is these promises that are NOT being followed and hence the ongoing frustration, hence the fresh complaints surrounding the same issue and obv hence the HT incorrect allegations of bullying.

It appears a hopeless cycle that we as parents will never break until we remove our children from the school and walk away. All that does then is leave the same issues and problems to resurface at some point in the future which of course it inevitably will.

Admission - I agree entirely with your comparisons to industry.

All a bit of a nightmare really as if you knew us in RL, we are largely the most unbullylike people and to be labelled by someone as respected as a HT is very scary. We are just fighting (that's how it feels now) for the best education for our kids - can't see why that should create such a problem.

My only suggestion would be to follow the school's complaint policy to the T. Usually it goes.....

Class Teacher
Deputy Head/Assistant Head
Headteacher
Chair of Governors
LEA

It sounds as you got to the HT part. Next is a formal letter of complaint to the Chair of Governors (irregardless if they were part of a meeting with the head. They have to respond formally to you.) If you are still not happy, a formal letter of complaint addressed appropriately to the LEA.

If you are unsure of your school's policy, ask for a copy. Many schools have the policy on their websites. Follow it exactly.

Good luck!

Yes, and go easy on the HT. She is probably having a torrid time, and wasting many precious hours on a competency procedure - especially if a union rep is now involved.
(Have been through very early stages of this, and, many, many hours down the line (and as many sleepless nights), surrendered to the incompetent teacher and her trusty union rep, who had obviously eaten the pay and conditions document. Am still smarting.)