Parent threatens another parent on school premises

Commentary

Incidents such as this are unacceptable on school grounds. It is about showing respect to one another, even if people do not agree, discussing any concern/s in a rational and reasonable way. It is important to handle these situations well. The school quite rightly sort advice from the Local Authority and seems to have followed the steps outlined in the school’s policy.  Do check out your own school’s policy should an incident arise.

Putting posters up in school which provide examples of unacceptable behaviour that will not be tolerated, and placing reminders about good behaviour in newsletters, are useful ways to reinforce school expectations.

The school also investigated the allegation around bullying but found no case to answer. Was the school’s complaint policy instigated? The school should also have designated policies in place. Here is some additional information:

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

https://gov.wales/rights-respect-equality-guidance-schools

It would have been sensible, therefore, to have issued a letter to the parent who behaved inappropriately, (not just to the ‘threatened parent), outlining that such behaviour at the school was a very serious matter and should not happen again and indicating what action would be taken. This may very well have helped to appease the overall situation with the ‘threatened parent.’

Schools can of course barr troublesome and aggressive parents from the school for a period of time. Paragraph 71, chapter 25 of 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.