Most school leaders in England, Wales and NI say pupils' parents have abused them
Four in five school leaders in England, Wales and Northern Ireland say they have suffered abuse from pupils' parents in the past year, according to a poll that found they had been spat at, trolled on social media and even physically attacked.
The problem has become so serious that more than two out of five (42%) of those who took part in the survey said they had been forced to ban parents from the school site in the last year. Nearly a third (32%) have reported parents to the police and almost three-quarters (72%) have issued a warning letter or email.
Verbal abuse was the most common issue, with 85% of school leaders saying they had been targeted in the past year, followed by threatening behaviour (68%), online abuse (46%) and discriminatory language (22%), including racist, sexist or homophobic terms.
One in 10 reported physical violence and 4% said they had been spat at in the last 12 months, while others were subjected to hate campaigns, harassment and intimidation. Almost nine out of 10 (86%) said the problem had deteriorated over the last three years.
More than 1,600 members of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland responded to the survey last November, and just 18% said they had not personally experienced abuse from parents within the last year.
Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of NAHT, said: 'Some of the stories we are hearing about the appalling abuse leaders and their staff are suffering from parents are almost beyond belief.'
The union is calling for the government to send a clear signal to parents that such abuse is unacceptable in schools. It also wants ministers to conduct an urgent review of complaints procedures to deter 'vexatious' use of the existing system.
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School leader Debra Walker has been slapped across the face by a parent, threatened with murder by another and had to call the police when a woman came into school 'screaming and shouting' after taking exception to a psychologist's report about her child.
Walker, who is now chief executive of the Iris Learning Trust, which runs three primary schools in the north-east of England, recounts how another parent, upset about a coat going missing, screamed in the face of a teacher who was seven months pregnant. 'Another colleague was spat at,' she said. 'These are really horrible things to suffer.'
She has since spearheaded a campaign called No Excuse for Abuse to make it clear that abuse by parents will not be tolerated. Walker said it came from 'a small minority' of parents from all different backgrounds, but that the impact on staff was 'disproportionate'.
It can be triggered by a lost sweatshirt, a mislaid lunch box or a conversation about homework that escalates quickly. Walker said: 'In some of the cases I hear, it's a split second. You go and have a conversation and immediately you are in this very aggressive arena. Nothing prepares you for that.'
Another senior leader said malicious and vexatious complaints 'made me want to leave my job and made me ill'; while another said: 'I felt very low and dreaded opening my email.'
Whiteman said: 'The vast majority of parents are very supportive of schools and in most cases the relationship between school and home is really positive. However, in recent years we have heard of a worrying increase in the amount of abuse school leaders are experiencing.
'It causes enormous distress for school leaders, their staff, and sometimes pupils, and is even contributing to decisions by good people to leave the profession at a time schools are facing a severe recruitment and retention crisis.'
A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'Nobody should face violence or abuse in the workplace, including our incredible school staff who are vital to improving life chances for all children. As part of our plan for change, we are committed to turning the tide on poor behaviour, breaking down barriers to opportunity and ensuring every child can achieve and thrive.'
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