The “unwritten agreement” between parents and schools in England has broken since the Covid pandemic, according to Ofsted’s chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, with pupil absences remaining stubbornly high and disruptive behaviour now more common.
Delivering her final annual report in the role, Spielman said she had noticed a disturbing “shift in attitudes” among pupils and parents.
“This breakdown is feeding into a troubling shift in attendance, in attitudes, in behaviour since the pandemic. Absenteeism has become a stubborn problem. Some of that is down to illness, including mental health problems, but nevertheless disruptive behaviour has become more common.
“It’s a problem in colleges as well. And it’s clear that there’s more friction between schools and parents, who are increasingly willing to challenge school rules.”
Spielman, who steps down as chief inspector next month after seven years, said parents were partly to blame for the disruption because of growing hostility towards school rules over discipline or uniform requirements.
Parents were “a little bit less willing to support schools, and a bit more willing to find fault,” she said, with Ofsted recording increased numbers of complaints from parents but no increase in complaints that required action.
