Addressing the rise of complaints and unreasonable behaviour from pupils and parents

Commentary

It’s always a good idea to have access to legal advice in case there are more serious issues to deal with at school, and most Local Authorities offer this under a Service Level Agreement. 

All schools must have a behaviour policy which details how to manage pupil behaviour, noting who has the responsibility to enforce sanctions etc.  This should be regularly reviewed by the governing body to make sure it is right for the school and fit for purpose.

Whilst employing more staff would be a solution in this case, this may not be feasible due to financial constraints.

Has the school arranged for sessions on INSET days that focus on managing pupil behaviour? This would be the ideal opportunity to ensure all staff are aware of and understand the school’s policy, and know how to apply it confidently and appropriately.

Where parents have concerns with the school, they should be encouraged to raise them to ensure they are dealt with in the correct manner. All schools must have a complaints procedure in place, which is publicised, maybe on the school’s website, and referred to in the governors Annual Report to Parents.  Welsh Government has produced a model policy that governing bodies can use, adapt and / or adopt, within their guidance on dealing with school-based complaints:

https://gov.wales/school-complaints-procedures-guidance

If this is a large school, it might be worth the school thinking about designating members of staff as the complaints officers.

Most complaints or concerns can be dealt with informally (Stage A). However, where they can’t be resolved at this early stage, the procedure is in place, to make sure that there is a consistent approach to dealing with complaints.  As long as complainants feel that their concern has been taken seriously and dealt with sensitively and as swiftly as possible, there should be no appeal to the more formal stages of the procedure (Stage B and C).

The school should not have to deal with parents who are aggressive.  It is a good idea, therefore, for the governing body to have a policy that deals with vexatious complaints and unreasonable behaviour.  As a last resort, schools can of course barr troublesome and aggressive parents from the school for a period of time. Paragraph 71, chapter 25 The School Governors Guide to the Law, provides useful information on this:

https://gov.wales/school-governors-guide-law Ultimately, schools need robust policies and procedures in place to address any issue that arises swiftly. Governors should also be provided with the number of complaints the school is receiving, usually via the headteacher’s report so it can monitor the situation carefully.