The relationship between schools and parents plays a pivotal role in shaping the learning environment and overall pupil wellbeing. When this relationship deteriorates beyond repair, it can take a real toll, well beyond those directly concerned. But what to do about it?
The controversial idea I want to explore here is that schools should have the authority to remove a pupil from their roll when this happens.
Rising abuse against schools
Schools, trusts, trade unions, charities and professional bodies have repeatedly called for action to address the persistent issue of complex and vexatious parent complaints as well as unacceptable parental behaviour towards schools, staff and governors.
In our spring 2024 School Leaders Survey, 68 per cent cited personal attacks and aggressive behaviour towards staff as the most common type of vexatious complaint behaviour.
A more recent poll of 1,600 National Association of Headteachers members highlights continuing and increasing strain in home-school relationships. Here, a staggering 80 per cent of school leaders reported instances of abuse from parents, ranging from verbal to physical assaults as well as trolling on social media.
This is causing real distress for school leaders and their staff, and is a clear contributing factor to the sector’s recruitment and retention crisis.
The case for legal action
Steps can be taken to minimise the impact of unacceptable parental behaviour under the current legislative framework. These include limiting parental access to the school site and putting in place a communication plan.
However, it is unlawful to remove a pupil from the school roll because of parental behaviour, even when the relationship between home and school has irretrievably broken down. Managed moves are an option, but require parental consent.
Given the pervasive nature of these challenges and their disproportionate toll on whole schools’ ability to function effectively, it is right that we should consider reviewing the law in this area.
Removing a pupil because the home-school relationship is irretrievable broken is already within the powers of some independent schools. These often have a termination clause in their contract, triggered – as a last resort and after fair warning – by unacceptable parent behaviour.
To implement a similar approach in the publicly funded sector would require legislative change, not least to Regulation 9 of the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024, which sets out the circumstances where a school must remove a pupil from the school roll.
Balancing the scales
Such a measure would require robust safeguards to ensure fairness and justice.
Statutory guidance would be essential to clearly define what constitutes an “irretrievable breakdown in relationship” and to outline the steps schools must take before arriving at the decision to remove a pupil.
This guidance could include mandatory mediation attempts, with a requirement for at least one to be facilitated by an independent, third-party mediator.
Guidance could also dictate a requirement for documented warnings, and a thorough review of the impact on the pupil’s education and welfare. Consideration would also need to be given to the process of identifying a new school placement as quickly as possible, whether under a revised Fair Access Protocol procedure or otherwise.
An appeal mechanism would also be crucial to protect the interests of the affected pupil and their family. This could be structured similarly to the existing process for exclusions, where governors and an independent panel review the decision and consider evidence from both sides.
Such a process would help to ensure the decision to remove a pupil is made transparently and subject to scrutiny, thereby upholding the principles of fairness and accountability.
A new, clear deterrent
The system evidently needs to change, as much to stem rising complaints and alleviate the burden on schools as to remove duplication and revise the regulatory framework.
This proposal is a complex and potentially contentious one, but with the right safeguards and a clear and fair process, it could serve as a last-resort mechanism, when all other reconciliation efforts have failed.
Importantly, it could be an effective deterrent to the minority of parents engaging in unacceptable behaviours that affect the whole school community.
There are some very challenging parents who don’t know how to love or cherish their children and don’t have any support or understanding of how the way things are communicated will affect their relationship with a school but equally , the way a school operates , where a one size fits all
Approach and a lack of compassion kindness and punishments are the norm just makes things worse. Our local Trust controls complaints so there is no accountability to parents. How does this help parent school relationships?
Wow. Working with families on the ground we see (in very stark contrast) the ways many schools are deciding not to adhere to current DfE statutory guidance around supporting pupils and working together with parents. We see and understand the real frustrations of parents who see their child crumbling under the weight of the current system which is not caring or nurturing. Whilst there will be a small number of parents who ‘can’t be bothered’ or are ‘unwilling’ to work together with schools to
iron out any issues, I can say that the majority are trying their best and finding that it’s the school who aren’t interested in finding solutions.