UK teachers report rise in problem parents

[Tabitha005]

Rude and disrespectful parents were a big issue when I worked in education ten years ago and, from this article, it seems to be an increasing concern.

Who’d be a teacher, eh? The shit they have to put up with is awful.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/mar/13/teachers-mental-heath-parents-behaviour-education

I don't think this is just about parents and children but more a reflectio. On wider society. I moved from the UK to Switzerland and I feel embarrassed to be British when I come home and see how people behave - the language, rudeness, - there's been a noticeable decline. And it's such a contrast to life in Switzerland- I dont see antisocial behaviour, everyone behaves and conducts themselves in a polite and respectful way, and takes pride in their jobs and themselves.
But we do have a son in primary in an international school and I feel sorry for the teachers. It's predominantly the entitled SAHM that are the worst - they all have nannies and too much time on their hands and complain about the smallest things. Or you get the parent that thinks that because they paid the school fees they dont have to deal with any concerns relating to their child and its the school's problems to resolve. It's pathetic. I actually did a few weeks teaching at summer camp and the kids were insufferable - rude, spoilt, entitled, apathetic, and lacked independence- think an 11 year old who can't even cut an apple herself.

Fines for taking them out of school and on holiday for the third time this year. “They’ve threatened to take me to court! Can you believe it?”

Yes. Yes I fucking can.

I once dealt with a parent kicking off that her child was being taught about Islam in RE, because her child was not a Muslim. She said she felt it was ridiculous to teach children about things that don’t occur in their lives.

I pointed out her child was not and would never be an Ancient Egyptian, a Viking, a Greek God or a World War 2 soldier but would be taught about those things too. She wound her neck in eventually.

It was wilful ignorance, but also wanting the same ignorance for her children. I think some parents forget school’s only purpose is to educate, instead they see school as free childcare and see themselves as customers who are always right.

Ours doesn’t do that. Probably because a couple of the parents are teachers at other schools though.

I agree with all that. And to the attendance lead being called a bitch is outrageous!

But also completely do not agree with these attendance rules. It’s absolutely outrageous and I don’t know how we got here.

I know there’s loads on MN who vehemently agree that kids shouldn’t have holidays. But honestly I am not that old (born in the early 90s) - all my peers and I took plenty of holidays. It hasn’t caused an issue for a single one of us. I would argue the opposite in fact.

I'm about to leave teaching after 22 years, because of so much of the above. One of the things I think a lot of parents don't realise is that over time, when every sanction is challenged, teachers stop setting detentions for misdemeanours because they know they'll get an onslaught into their inbox as a result. The upshot of this is that the behaviour policy is undermined and school becomes a less safe place for everyone - staff and students alike.

I recently worked in a brilliant school with a tight behaviour policy that drew endless criticism and accusations of harshness from a small number of parents (the ones whose kids fell foul of it frequently) but the vast, vast majority of students felt safe and knew that anyone disrupting their education wouldn't get away with it. It was marvellous. If I still worked there I wouldn't be leaving teaching. This problem is fixable, but it's hard and requires nerves of steel from leadership.

Did your mum challenge the comment? I would definitely be asking why they’d say such a thing!

the second parent you mention - I meet these sorts of people in my line of work. They are attention seekers, thrive on causing chaos, it’s like a power and manipulation type game for them.

There are teachers from other schools and also friends of the school’s staff in there!

I’m an early years teacher with my own childminding business - so parents choose to send their child to me, choose to pay me, choose my setting over others. And yet I get spoken to like shit in a daily basis. Complaints about mad things like their child having cold feet, how I hold their cup, why they aren’t writing yet, their white designer top getting dirty. Demands that I change my opening time and routine to suit their darling. And children’s behaviour is off the scale … for which they get sweets at pick up, a new toy at the weekend, and a “let’s not upset them” when I dare to mention that little Jonny punched someone in the face.

So parents are literally starting out like this, where’s it coming from?!

This is the reason we have chosen a much stricter church school for our younger dc. Just so sick of the classroom disruption. Teachers are doing their best but no behaviour policy. For well behaved kids like mine they just miss out.

I managed to be through the whole of primary school without complaining once, the thought never even crossed my mind. My dd went to one secondary and again I've had no contact apart from parents evenings.

My ds goes to another secondary school and the culture is quite frankly shocking. I've contacted the school on a small number of occasions which I would do again, I've witnessed the teachers talking to yp like they are pieces of dirt on their shoe and quite frankly bullying certain students. I've had a formal apology from the normally uncontactable headteacher who said as a parent she would have complained too.

So yes although some parents complain at the drop of a hat, and are wrong to do so some issues do need to be raised through the proper channels.

The ones I feel most sorry for are the students in my ds' school who are being treated awfully by certain teachers but whose parents either don't give a crap or don't have the skills to challenge.

The trouble is many of them got the GCSEs. They got the three bedroom semi. They got the pension and they’re not happy people.
So they’re right they don’t need the GCSE’s to be honest.
School is failing to be fit for purpose. Teachers are part of that.
You’re gonna bear the brunt of the anger
Not that I agree with it and not that I have ever been angry with a teacher, I hope

Recently I had to leave through the main door to access the office reception as I couldn’t risk opening the door to the site as a parent swore and hammered on the door. She was concerned about her child who had called her . Her opening words to me were threats of violence unless I unlocked the door. I calmed her down but it was a shit show. Our receptionist left a few days after. The parent didn’t really see why her response was a problem. The poor social skills in children usually start with home.

My DD started secondary last September and unfortunately her year group is plagued with bad /disruptive behaviour. I had a chat with my family member who works at the school and asked how these kids were continually getting away with this bad behaviour and they said that parents just do not engage and do not care . They just see their kids behaviour as the schools problem . My family member said it’s like banging their head against a wall and they feel like their hands are tied.

It’s predominantly boys that are kicking off and it’s female teachers who they play up for the most . They were recently inspected and put into special measures with behaviour being one of the biggest problems . My family member was gutted because no matter what punishments they dish out, the kids and parents don’t care, or the parents become abusive because how dare you punish my darling child. One girl who was in my DDs primary constantly threatens teachers that she will get her dad up the school to beat them up. My family member knows the dad and said ‘oh, you mean John Smith? I know him well, by all means send him up here I’d love to talk to him’ and the colour drained from her face . But this is what teachers are dealing with and it infuriates me . I really worry for the future generation and I’m already feeling sad my DDs education is being disrupted constantly by kids who are poorly parented .

My nephew told me the other day there was “no point” in him doing the 11 plus because he’s “bad” at English. I just found it really sad. If my child said that I’d want to find a way to help, but they’re just resigned to it. Meanwhile my brother is calling in sick at school to take him to sporting events and out to lunch. We certainly weren’t brought up like that. I don’t know where it’s all coming from but I don’t think I have the patience to listen to it anymore.

Like everything else, parents have more access to other parents through SM etc so are more educated on how to navigate the system to benefit their child.

I'm sure the medical profession also experienced this with Dr Google.

I don't expect traditionally either teachers or medical profession was questioned the way it is now.

I think @Sweetbeansandmochi summed it up best.

I can just feel the sense of entitlement through the screen. Tim nice but dim not getting A* in everything..

Obviously I’m not talking about situations where people saw someone punch someone else, but to be fair, sometimes schools are wrong. When I was in yr 8, I was accused of truanting. Not only had I not done it, anyone who knew me would’ve known it was ridiculous to think that I had. I genuinely loved school, I looked forward to the end of the school holidays! The teacher had missed me on the register - got distracted or something I guess, just an admin error. I was also very quiet and the teacher didn’t specifically remember whether I’d been there. My mum didn’t believe me, she was a teacher and it was always made clear to us that she’d back the school, she’d have hated to be a parent believing their child over the school, it just wasn’t in her. I was punished quite severely because truanting was, rightly, taken very seriously by my parents. It affected the trust I had in my parents quite badly. If they’d backed me, maybe they’d have been seen as silly naive parents believing the lying teenager, but they’d have been right.
I’d never blindly believe everything my child said. But nor would I assume that just because they’re a teenager, everything they say must be a lie.

I agree with a lot of this, particularly your points about what school should be.

I think schools in this country as expected to be magical places where all of society’s ills are solved. Education isn’t the sticking plaster for a country with massive inequality.

Part of the problem is class sizes (in primary anyway) - you can’t effectively teach 30 children, even if you were the best teacher in the world. I say this as an ex teacher. Furthermore, with those 30 children you have up to 60 parents to deal with too. To say it is manically busy is an understatement.

Schools have become businesses, particularly with academisation and as a result everyone involved is dehumanised and that’s where relationships can break down. I think the vast majority of staff in schools are working so hard and trying their best, but they’re working in a system that isn’t working for children anymore. Parents are annoyed and use the school as a scapegoat. (however, I will add to this sometimes schools get things very wrong and this is due to lack of understanding and empathy particularly with SEND children and families from working-class backgrounds).

I’ve moved from education to social care and the attitude towards schools and teachers is eye-opening: everyone is so negative towards them. But again, I think that’s further evidence our education system isn’t working.

That's confusing two things.

1. You can't call yourself a "qualified teacher" in England if you're not. It has a specific meaning. Although you can get QTL or QTLS and not have yet passed induction and teach (subject to time limits).
2. You can teach in an English state school without being a qualified teacher. It's unusual but not forbidden.
3. Foreign qualified teachers are subject to different rules because of visa requirements.

Knowing my mum she probably did, but I can’t remember if I was told exactly. I think she just gave it as example of a nightmare parent she had to deal with.

I taught in an English state school for two terms before starting an on the job training course which took me two more terms. I was therefore "unqualified" for those four terms.

The rules have not changed.

Not a teacher and my DC are 22/26 and I'm horrified.

Sending support to all teachers.

And even on a thread specifically concerned about rising entitlement in parents against schools, people posting yeah, but teachers can get it wrong too you know.
Have you no shame?!

Try being on reception at an inner city secondary! I’ve heard parents threaten to ‘knock their teeth out’ to a teacher or ‘I’ll do time for you’ and more. We call the police on a parent once or twice a year which doesn’t sound like a lot but remember that parent doesn’t disappear until their child leaves at the end of yr 11 or is expelled (which hardly ever happens in reality). Everyone is on edge every time those parents are in the building. It’s horrible.