>#No bikinis at the school gates or tweeting about teachers: The new rules for parents
>__Mothers and fathers must sign a ‘code of conduct’__
>Thousands of parents are being asked to sign a “code of conduct” to stop them posting slurs about teachers on social media or turning up to the school gates in a bikini.
>The behaviour code, thought to be the first of its kind, will be sent to parents with children at all 48 schools in one of England’s biggest academy trusts, the Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which covers Co Durham, Newcastle and Northumberland.
>Teachers have become increasingly concerned by the behaviour of parents who they believe are setting a bad example for pupils and taking up excessive amounts of school time.
>Parents have been reported for smoking, drinking and vaping in playgrounds; wearing clothing such as bikinis or pyjamas at the school gates; and for having T-shirts with offensive language or imagery, such as the logo FCUK — for the brand French Connection — and one that showed a pig wearing a policeman’s helmet.
>In even more serious examples, teachers have had abusive messages about them posted on social media, including one that falsely branded them a paedophile. The parent in that case was sent a legal letter by the school asking them to remove the slur.
>Another parent started an online petition against a named group of teachers. The school managed to get it taken down.
>Nick Hurn, chief executive of the trust, said: “Recently in one of our primary schools there was a fight between two children and both were sanctioned. One parent did not think it appropriate her child was punished so the parent came in effing and blinding — she was going to knock the teacher’s lights out. She was removed from the site by police.
>“Parents and children’s behaviour is much worse since the pandemic. There is a breakdown in civil behaviour, courtesy, good manners. Some of the primary heads are getting upset by people turning up in pyjamas — sometimes leaving little to the imagination.
>“A minority of parents do not follow the rules of acceptable behaviour. I thought, ‘Why do we not try to create a code of conduct that outlines what our expectations are for our parents?’
>“We have always had issues with confrontational parents over the years, and we used to deal with it by appeasing them or getting them in to calm them down.
>“Teachers and pupils are being subjected to abuse on social media, at the school gates, and there is never any consequence. One teacher was branded a paedophile on social media. I thought, ‘This has to stop’.”
>Hurn has called on the government to bring in a national code governing parent behaviour and says schools across England dealing with similar problems have asked for a copy of his trust’s parent behaviour contract, which he has consulted teaching unions about. The new school code will be sent to parents this week.
>Parents with children starting in September will be required to sign the contract in the first week of term.
>It spells out penalties, warning that “persistent concerns or breaches may result in banning the offending adult from entering school grounds and may lead to prosecution”.
>Under the heading “Dress”, the code says: “We expect all adults accessing our site to dress appropriately at all times. Please avoid clothing that may be viewed as offensive, revealing, sexually provocative, display contentious slogans and so on. Wearing nightwear is not appropriate.”
>Under the heading “Inappropriate use of social network sites” it says: “Defamatory, offensive or derogatory comments” about any of the trust’s schools, pupils, parents or employees “must not be aired on social media”.
>Hurn, 62, says a parent once tried to punch him but was so drunk the blow did not connect. He has also seen a rise in parents complaining their children’s human rights are being breached. He says in one case a parent sent a 20-page legal letter outlining their daughter’s human rights after the girl was told her pink hair was unacceptable under school rules.
>Head teachers across the country have warned that parents have become more aggressive and less inclined to show good behaviour since the pandemic.
>Andrew O’Neill, who runs All Saints Catholic College in west London, rated outstanding by Ofsted, said: “There is a definite change post-pandemic in parents’ behaviour around their children. Attendance nationally, for instance, is not great, but when you probe into why your child is not in school you can be met with aggression. That has been really challenging.”
>Head teacher Alison Colwell says she has frequently cried after being sworn at and threatened — both in person and online — after taking on the task of turning around Ebbsfleet Academy in Kent. During her seven years there she has had to call police to remove abusive parents from her office; banned threatening parents from entering the school premises without appointments; and been vilified on a Facebook page set up by the local community, which dubbed the school “Colditz Academy”.
The children don’t stand a chance with parents like that 🤦♂️
Anecdotal but it seems like there’s been a large increase in young children starting Primary school still in nappies. That’s just what I’ve heard from Primary colleagues anyway. Apparently it used to be practically unheard of but now it’s almost uncommon?
Parents should respect teachers for sure and I’m sure that’s the main point of this.
But there’s literally nothing wrong with wearing an FCUK branded tshirt.
There’s especially nothing wrong with a tshirt of a pig in a police hat, that’s educational. The whole point of schools.
Half fair, half fuck off.
Telling kids not to have dyed hair is stupid, making parents turn up wearing clothes is good.
Aggression is increasingly becoming seen as an acceptable form of communication everywhere as well as online. It’s awful.
Weird mix of banned stuff tbh.
* FCUK t-shirts banned – why?
* Pig wearing a police hat – I doubt primary school kids are reading the political messaging depicted
* Drinking alcohol in the playground – yes
* Smoking and vaping in the playground – yes
* Wearing only bikinis to pick up from school – yes
* Wearing PJs to pick up from school – not something I’d do but I’d hardly ban it
* Swearing – yes
* Tweeting about teachers – yes generally, unless it’s something serious and they’ve gone through all the proper channels already. You can’t just go tweeting calling people paedophiles like the example in the article though – that’s a police matter if you genuinely believe it to be true.
> Thousands of parents are being asked to sign a “code of conduct” to stop them **posting slurs about teachers on social media**
> […]
> teachers have had abusive messages about them posted on social media, including one that **falsely branded them a paedophile**. The parent in that case was sent a legal letter by the school asking them to remove the slur.
Quite different from what the headline suggests then….
There’s a fine line between protecting teachers from online abuse and parents being able to air their grievances publicly, this sounds like they want to silence all negative comments against the school and teachers.
Which is wrong, stopping the abuse I fully support.
That would need to be clearly stated before I signed anything.
They have no right to ban clothing outside the school ‘at the gate’. Also I don’t see how they can bar adults entering the school wearing legal clothing if it’s to collect kids
teachers deal with this shit and then get pissy at the idea of mass resignation.
What is it with parents that take their kids shopping and the kids are wearing sleep wear i just don’t understand it
Why the fuck would you pick up your kid wearing a bikini, fucking weirdos
Some nightwear is basically joggers and a t shirt. You are pretty covered up, so what’s the problem? It’s not like you are going to work? As long as you are not half naked can they really dictate? Shouldn’t it be the same as going to the supermarket? You’ll be thought of as weird but not breaking the rules.
I had to sign a code of conduct for our daughter starting school in September it wasn’t exactly unreasonable. It was just don’t use bad language whilst on school premises, no posts to social media without permission of students/staff. All stuff that in fairness if I worked at a school I would want to make sure my students and their parents respected.
Don’t be, obviously, a bogan parent – not too much to ask.
While I’d be very unlikely to engage in any of the behaviours in the article, I do wonder who the hell the teachers think they are.
I’m a grown adult old enough to be their father, not a child in their class, and I’ll do within the bounds of the law, whatever I damn well like.
It’s genuinely absurd that actual adults with children need to be told to put clothes on and show up sober.
The bikinis I understand, but parents should be allowed to discuss the teachers with eachother.
> Under the heading “Inappropriate use of social network sites” it says: “Defamatory, offensive or derogatory comments” about any of the trust’s schools, pupils, parents or employees “must not be aired on social media”.
20 comments
>#No bikinis at the school gates or tweeting about teachers: The new rules for parents
>__Mothers and fathers must sign a ‘code of conduct’__
>Thousands of parents are being asked to sign a “code of conduct” to stop them posting slurs about teachers on social media or turning up to the school gates in a bikini.
>The behaviour code, thought to be the first of its kind, will be sent to parents with children at all 48 schools in one of England’s biggest academy trusts, the Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which covers Co Durham, Newcastle and Northumberland.
>Teachers have become increasingly concerned by the behaviour of parents who they believe are setting a bad example for pupils and taking up excessive amounts of school time.
>Parents have been reported for smoking, drinking and vaping in playgrounds; wearing clothing such as bikinis or pyjamas at the school gates; and for having T-shirts with offensive language or imagery, such as the logo FCUK — for the brand French Connection — and one that showed a pig wearing a policeman’s helmet.
>In even more serious examples, teachers have had abusive messages about them posted on social media, including one that falsely branded them a paedophile. The parent in that case was sent a legal letter by the school asking them to remove the slur.
>Another parent started an online petition against a named group of teachers. The school managed to get it taken down.
>Nick Hurn, chief executive of the trust, said: “Recently in one of our primary schools there was a fight between two children and both were sanctioned. One parent did not think it appropriate her child was punished so the parent came in effing and blinding — she was going to knock the teacher’s lights out. She was removed from the site by police.
>“Parents and children’s behaviour is much worse since the pandemic. There is a breakdown in civil behaviour, courtesy, good manners. Some of the primary heads are getting upset by people turning up in pyjamas — sometimes leaving little to the imagination.
>“A minority of parents do not follow the rules of acceptable behaviour. I thought, ‘Why do we not try to create a code of conduct that outlines what our expectations are for our parents?’
>“We have always had issues with confrontational parents over the years, and we used to deal with it by appeasing them or getting them in to calm them down.
>“Teachers and pupils are being subjected to abuse on social media, at the school gates, and there is never any consequence. One teacher was branded a paedophile on social media. I thought, ‘This has to stop’.”
>Hurn has called on the government to bring in a national code governing parent behaviour and says schools across England dealing with similar problems have asked for a copy of his trust’s parent behaviour contract, which he has consulted teaching unions about. The new school code will be sent to parents this week.
>Parents with children starting in September will be required to sign the contract in the first week of term.
>It spells out penalties, warning that “persistent concerns or breaches may result in banning the offending adult from entering school grounds and may lead to prosecution”.
>Under the heading “Dress”, the code says: “We expect all adults accessing our site to dress appropriately at all times. Please avoid clothing that may be viewed as offensive, revealing, sexually provocative, display contentious slogans and so on. Wearing nightwear is not appropriate.”
>Under the heading “Inappropriate use of social network sites” it says: “Defamatory, offensive or derogatory comments” about any of the trust’s schools, pupils, parents or employees “must not be aired on social media”.
>Hurn, 62, says a parent once tried to punch him but was so drunk the blow did not connect. He has also seen a rise in parents complaining their children’s human rights are being breached. He says in one case a parent sent a 20-page legal letter outlining their daughter’s human rights after the girl was told her pink hair was unacceptable under school rules.
>Head teachers across the country have warned that parents have become more aggressive and less inclined to show good behaviour since the pandemic.
>Andrew O’Neill, who runs All Saints Catholic College in west London, rated outstanding by Ofsted, said: “There is a definite change post-pandemic in parents’ behaviour around their children. Attendance nationally, for instance, is not great, but when you probe into why your child is not in school you can be met with aggression. That has been really challenging.”
>Head teacher Alison Colwell says she has frequently cried after being sworn at and threatened — both in person and online — after taking on the task of turning around Ebbsfleet Academy in Kent. During her seven years there she has had to call police to remove abusive parents from her office; banned threatening parents from entering the school premises without appointments; and been vilified on a Facebook page set up by the local community, which dubbed the school “Colditz Academy”.
The children don’t stand a chance with parents like that 🤦♂️
Anecdotal but it seems like there’s been a large increase in young children starting Primary school still in nappies. That’s just what I’ve heard from Primary colleagues anyway. Apparently it used to be practically unheard of but now it’s almost uncommon?
Parents should respect teachers for sure and I’m sure that’s the main point of this.
But there’s literally nothing wrong with wearing an FCUK branded tshirt.
There’s especially nothing wrong with a tshirt of a pig in a police hat, that’s educational. The whole point of schools.
Half fair, half fuck off.
Telling kids not to have dyed hair is stupid, making parents turn up wearing clothes is good.
Aggression is increasingly becoming seen as an acceptable form of communication everywhere as well as online. It’s awful.
Weird mix of banned stuff tbh.
* FCUK t-shirts banned – why?
* Pig wearing a police hat – I doubt primary school kids are reading the political messaging depicted
* Drinking alcohol in the playground – yes
* Smoking and vaping in the playground – yes
* Wearing only bikinis to pick up from school – yes
* Wearing PJs to pick up from school – not something I’d do but I’d hardly ban it
* Swearing – yes
* Tweeting about teachers – yes generally, unless it’s something serious and they’ve gone through all the proper channels already. You can’t just go tweeting calling people paedophiles like the example in the article though – that’s a police matter if you genuinely believe it to be true.
> Thousands of parents are being asked to sign a “code of conduct” to stop them **posting slurs about teachers on social media**
> […]
> teachers have had abusive messages about them posted on social media, including one that **falsely branded them a paedophile**. The parent in that case was sent a legal letter by the school asking them to remove the slur.
Quite different from what the headline suggests then….
There’s a fine line between protecting teachers from online abuse and parents being able to air their grievances publicly, this sounds like they want to silence all negative comments against the school and teachers.
Which is wrong, stopping the abuse I fully support.
That would need to be clearly stated before I signed anything.
They have no right to ban clothing outside the school ‘at the gate’. Also I don’t see how they can bar adults entering the school wearing legal clothing if it’s to collect kids
teachers deal with this shit and then get pissy at the idea of mass resignation.
What is it with parents that take their kids shopping and the kids are wearing sleep wear i just don’t understand it
Why the fuck would you pick up your kid wearing a bikini, fucking weirdos
Some nightwear is basically joggers and a t shirt. You are pretty covered up, so what’s the problem? It’s not like you are going to work? As long as you are not half naked can they really dictate? Shouldn’t it be the same as going to the supermarket? You’ll be thought of as weird but not breaking the rules.
I had to sign a code of conduct for our daughter starting school in September it wasn’t exactly unreasonable. It was just don’t use bad language whilst on school premises, no posts to social media without permission of students/staff. All stuff that in fairness if I worked at a school I would want to make sure my students and their parents respected.
Don’t be, obviously, a bogan parent – not too much to ask.
While I’d be very unlikely to engage in any of the behaviours in the article, I do wonder who the hell the teachers think they are.
I’m a grown adult old enough to be their father, not a child in their class, and I’ll do within the bounds of the law, whatever I damn well like.
It’s genuinely absurd that actual adults with children need to be told to put clothes on and show up sober.
The bikinis I understand, but parents should be allowed to discuss the teachers with eachother.
> Under the heading “Inappropriate use of social network sites” it says: “Defamatory, offensive or derogatory comments” about any of the trust’s schools, pupils, parents or employees “must not be aired on social media”.
Can’t wait to see _that_ one tested in court.