@prh47bridge On homework: yes, I think we said the same thing: schools are allowed to set their own behaviour policies, and to punish kids who don't do their homework - that the parents sign or don't sign an agreement with the school is completely irrelevant.
On accountability: I do not know how the process works for maintained schools - never looked into that as most secondary schools are now academies.
My point is that we do not accept this level of unaccountability in other crucial, state-funded services.
Would we accept a situation where, if we have a problem with our GP or our local hospital, we can complain only to the GP/hospital, and if we aren't happy with how they mark their own homework we're told: "sue us or, if you don't have the money to do so, suck it up?"
I mean, even when dealing with banks and insurers, which are not state-funded services, we can complain to an independent body - but not when it comes to schools! It beggars belief...
Some say that this level of unaccountability is required for these schools to be succesfu.
I disagree and I think that, had there been more accountability, the well-known and well-documented scandals of emotional abuse at Holland Park school and Mossbourne would not have happened.
Holland Park was assigned to a different trust, the head conveniently retired, and no one was held accountable. In the country of Grenfell, the infected blood scandal, the Post Office scandal etc we don't even know what accountability means.