Rising abuse from parents towards school staff in Wales ‘must stop’, says head teachers union

More than four in five school leaders in Wales say they have been abused by parents in the past year, according to a new survey by school’s union NAHT Cymru.

The poll, conducted by the union in November 2024, highlights a rise in incidents of verbal abuse, threats, and even physical violence towards headteachers and senior staff.

Verbal abuse was the most commonly reported issue, affecting 78 per cent of respondents.

This was followed by threatening behaviour (64 per cent) and online abuse (39 per cent).

More than one in ten (12 per cent) school leaders said that they had been physically attacked.

The survey also found that discrimination was a factor in some cases, with 18 per cent of school leaders reporting racist, sexist, or homophobic abuse.

Many teaching staff said the abuse from parents had taken a toll on their mental health and had forced some to consider leaving the profession.

Worryingly, the findings suggest that cases of physical and verbal abuse against school staff has worsened in recent years.

More than four fifths (82 per cent) of school leaders said mistreatment from parents had increased in the last three years, with over a third (34 per cent) saying it had risen sharply.

Nearly a third (31 per cent) reported experiencing abuse on a monthly basis, while 14 per cent said that it occurred weekly.

One senior leader in Wales said that “nasty emails are becoming more frequent”, with staff often receiving “abusive emails from parents without any thought or balance.”

Another described “slanderous vexatious complaints which are targeted at individual members of staff.”

In response, staff at some schools across Wales have taken action, with almost a third (30%) of school leaders saying that they had banned parents from school premises in the past year.

29 per cent had reported incidents to the police whilst 35 per cent had contacted their local authority.

NAHT Cymru’s national secretary, Laura Doel, said the results show a “worrying trend whereby verbal and in extreme cases physical abuse is becoming part of the job”.

“This is simply unacceptable,” said Laura.

“It cannot be the case that school leaders are subjected to this kind of treatment and more needs to be done to protect them.”

The union is calling for local authorities to work with schools to strengthen complaints procedures and support staff facing abuse.

Paul Whiteman, NAHT’s general secretary, warned that abuse is contributing to staff leaving the profession, worsening recruitment and retention challenges in schools.

He said: “The vast majority of parents are very supportive of schools and in most cases the relationship between school and home is really positive.

“However, in recent years we have heard of a worrying increase in the amount of abuse school leaders are experiencing.

“Some of the stories we are hearing about the appalling abuse leaders and their staff are suffering from parents are almost beyond belief.

“These are dedicated professionals, who work hard day in day out to deliver a first-rate education for children in often trying circumstances.

“No-one should have to suffer this sort of abuse in their place of work.

“It causes enormous distress for school leaders, their staff, and sometimes pupils, and is even contributing to decisions by good people to leave the profession at a time schools are facing a severe recruitment and retention crisis – directly affecting the quality of education children receive.

“Where parents have concerns, worries or complaints, they of course should be able to raise these with the school, but this has to be done in a respectful manner.

“Put simply, whatever the situation, there is never an excuse for abuse.

“This also shows the importance of government treating the profession with the respect it deserves – too often teachers and leaders were publicly criticised and talked down to under previous administrations, sending completely the wrong signal.”

The union says its findings highlight the need for its No Excuse for Abuse campaign, which calls for greater protections for school leaders and staff.

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