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Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Parents

7 replies

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 18/05/2023 19:24

This is probably the wrong site for this, but maybe I'll get some insight. I feel like recently at work, there have been a lot of incidents with parents flying off the handle at what feel like relatively minor things. Obviously, sometimes students go home and misrepresent things, but even so.

Most recent example. I teach an A-level science, people probably know about the practical endorsements and requirements for some sciences to do X amount of fieldwork and so on. A Y12 student missed some essential practical work needed for the course, they were offered a chance to catch up with a different class, which they agreed they would do. They then didn't attend this (they were in school on this day, so not like they were unwell).

We run a "practical catch up week" at the end of Y12, so I send a generic email to the parent and student written by our HoD explaining X would need to attend, and why it's important they attend. The response back from the parent is just... aggressive and unreasonable. Apparently the previously offered catch up was the wrong time, and I "pressured" her son into agreeing to this, he feels intimidated by me, I pick on him, etc etc.

Never mind the fact that I'm going out of my way to offer the practical catch ups in my gained time, and that I went out of my way to try to organise him doing the work with the parallel class etc. We obviously have limited lab availability and staff time, and at the moment, my focus has to be on my exam classes, not on Y12.

For some reason, I can deal with rudeness and aggression from students relatively easily, but I find it hard to take from parents.

By the way, nationally, there are over 1200 science teacher jobs going on TES right now.

OP posts:
Dendron123 · 20/05/2023 09:49

Just keep it as evidence when her child fails because they can't get practical endorsement...

More seriously, yes parents are unreasonable.

Surely the child can't progress to Year 13.

Disolusionedteacher · 20/05/2023 19:39

I feel your pain. I think since covid students and parents are seeing exams and coursework as things that can just be easily rearranged. I wouldn’t be giving him any more chances. We had a class this year full of kids who hadn’t sat their Y10 exams, mostly because they had been on holiday!

Disolusionedteacher · 20/05/2023 19:40

By exams I mean external GCSEs!

TheNefariousOrange · 20/05/2023 20:16

Yes, since covid our school has put a ban on staff having direct contact with parents unless we get it approved by the HoY first, and where possible it is to go through the HoY. Just from the sheer amount of aggressive parents and incidents since lockdown.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 21/05/2023 10:04

Dendron123 · 20/05/2023 09:49

Just keep it as evidence when her child fails because they can't get practical endorsement...

More seriously, yes parents are unreasonable.

Surely the child can't progress to Year 13.

They can progress because they could catch the practical up in y13, and the practical endorsement is separate to the A-level grade. However we have pointed out that the practical endorsement usually forms part of uni offers. The thing is, they're aware of the need to complete the practical, they just think it should be possible to do this at the time of their choosing (basically he doesn't want to stick around when he could go home, or come in on a day when his friends aren't in).

I think some parents and students have forgotten in a school with nearly 1500 students, everything can't revolve around their child?

OP posts:
Dendron123 · 21/05/2023 21:09

Sorry, I'm a bit out of date on A level.

The point is, however, there was a cut off point and a reasonable alternative offered.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 22/05/2023 18:48

Dendron123 · 21/05/2023 21:09

Sorry, I'm a bit out of date on A level.

The point is, however, there was a cut off point and a reasonable alternative offered.

There is a cut off point, but it's not until near the end of Y13.

Anyway, it's not really about this specific parent- it's just about the unreasonable demands, and increasingly aggressive tones of emails in general.

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