Headmaster: Teachers live in fear of abuse from parents
UNRULy parents who abuse teachers if they attempt to punish pupils have left staff at a toprated village school in fear, its headmaster has claimed.
Denis Oliver, 69, said staff were ‘abused or insulted’ – sometimes in front of children – for trying to impose discipline, leaving teachers feeling ‘vulnerable and, in some cases, frightened’.
Confrontations have occurred over punishments dished out for bad language, backchat and breaches of school uniform policy.
The headmaster said the attitude of some parents and carers was ‘not acceptable’ and made them ‘poor role models’.
Mr Oliver, head of Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School and Sixth Form College in Cheshire – whose former pupils include One Direction star Harry Styles – wrote in a newsletter: ‘There has been a real increase in the number of parents/carers not supporting the school’s decisions.’
Mr Oliver, whose school is rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, said incidents ranged from ‘minor’ matters ‘to far more serious instances of school staff being verbally abused or insulted by parents/carers, sometimes in front of children’.
He did not give specific examples of incidents but said the school had ‘high standards’ and added: ‘I make no apologies for these in terms of respect, uniform or behaviour.’