Almost one in ten headteachers suffered violence from parents - abuse surged in past three years, says NAHT survey
Almost one in ten school principals have suffered physical violence from parents, a survey has revealed – with most reporting a surge in abuse over the past three years.
The poll by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) in Northern Ireland revealed "shocking" examples of head teachers and other senior leaders being verbally and physically abused, the union said.
Verbal abuse was the most common form of abuse suffered, with 88% of school leaders in Northern Ireland saying they had experienced this in the past year. This was followed by threatening behaviour (76%), online abuse (30%) and discriminatory language (21%), including use of racist, sexist or homophobic terms.
Nearly one in 10 (9%) suffered physical violence.
The survey exposed widespread reports of trolling on social media and in parent groups - as well as appalling instances of hate campaigns and harassment and intimidation.
Some school leaders said the abuse had made their lives a misery to the extent that they had considered quitting the profession they love. It has left some suffering anxiety, depression and panic attacks.
Nearly four in five (79%) leaders in Northern Ireland said abuse from parents had increased in the last three years.
A third said they typically experienced abuse every term, a quarter said it usually happened every month, with 13% reporting it weekly.
Only 27% of those surveyed said abuse was rare.
One senior leader in Northern Ireland said: ‘Parents often struggle to articulate their views when feeling stressed and verbal confrontations and abuse happen more often than they should. Pupils sometimes misreport incidents and parents immediately resort to aggression rather than discuss the situation and identify misunderstandings’.
Dr Graham Gault, NAHT NI national secretary, said: “These statistics paint an alarming and deeply troubling picture for schools in Northern Ireland - one that cannot be ignored.
“It is unacceptable that as public servants, dedicated to the education and well-being of children, they should be subjected to such treatment.
“Urgent action is required. We will continue to press employing authorities to take decisive steps in addressing unacceptable behaviour and violence, including online abuse, and to establish clear and robust processes for dealing with these incidents when they occur.”
NAHT surveyed 1,642 school leaders across England, Wales, and NI from 4-18 November 2024. There were 84 respondents in Northern Ireland.