Secondary school teacher paid damages after alleged harassment by pupils' parents

The Guardian

16-02-2025

A secondary school headteacher has been paid damages in the settlement of a legal claim against abusive parents who he alleged launched a campaign of harassment against him, including turning up at his family home and verbally abusing him at the school gates.
Kevin Flanagan, the headteacher of Pensby High School in Birkenhead, was successful in his claim against Keith and Stephanie Critchley, the parents of two former pupils, who he said had been harassing him since May 2023.
The abuse began when the parents accused him of bullying their two daughters, after they were given detentions for breaking rules such as using their mobile phones on the school grounds. They also claimed Flanagan failed to intervene when one of their daughters was being bullied, the Sunday Times reported.
Their alleged behaviour included starting an online fundraising petition to 'Remove Kevin Flanagan from his role as headteacher', and establishing a 'FamiliesFightFlanagan' Facebook group and Instagram account, which encouraged online abuse towards him.
The couple were also accused of confronting Flanagan and the school's co-chair of governors outside their individual family homes, and pursuing Flanagan's partner in a 'dangerous and threatening way' while driving, something which they denied.
Flanagan, 53, took legal action against the couple and a settlement was reached in January, with the Critchleys agreeing to pay him £10,000 in costs and damages, as well as agreeing to multiple restraining and non-harassment orders.
'The last near-two years have been a hugely upsetting and traumatic period – not only for myself but my family, colleagues and the broader school community,' said Flanagan.
He said legal proceedings were an 'option of last resort' and came about after strenuous efforts by the school governors to end the harassment.
'I'm pleased we have ultimately been able to bring the matter to a positive conclusion – ending a campaign of appalling behaviour that went well beyond what was reasonable, encouraged others to make vexatious complaints, and ultimately distracted us from the critical task of educating students,' he said.
The Critchleys denied harassment and argued their right to freedom of speech over what they genuinely believed was poor treatment of their daughters.
Much of the abuse was carried out online, with the social media account attracting individuals with grievances against the school, including previously excluded pupils, who allegedly posted insulting and offensive comments about Flanagan.
Comments posted online allegedly made references to Flanagan's school-age children and his ethnicity.
The Critchleys also allegedly encouraged people to make vexatious complaints to Ofsted, Wirral council, the Department for Education and the Teacher Regulation Agency.
The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, recently told the Times Education Supplement she was 'concerned about the volume of complaints [against schools] and the degree to which that can take up staff time'. The publication found more than eight in 10 school leaders had had an increase in vexatious complaints.
Nick McAleenan, a harassment law specialist at Brabners who represented Flanagan, said: 'Teachers are increasingly being subjected to antisocial behaviour at the hands of parents and other individuals,' adding that 'discourse and legitimate challenge are an integral part of our society' but teachers should be awarded greater protection to work free from harassment.
'It's my hope that Mr Flanagan's successful claim acts as a watershed moment in tackling unwarranted disruption of schools and the education of young people,' he said.