Ofsted annual report laments fracturing relations between parents and schools

The "unwritten agreement" between parents and schools in England has broken since the Covid crisis, according to Ofsted's chief inspector, with pupil absences stubbornly high and disruptive behaviour more common.

- Richard Adams

Delivering her final annual report in the role, Amanda Spielman said she had noticed a disturbing shift in attitudes among pupils and parents.

She said: "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 next month, said parents were partly to blame for the disruption because of growing hostility towards school rules on discipline or uniform. Parents were "a little bit less willing to support schools, and a bit more willing to find fault", she said. Ofsted has more complaints from parents, but no corresponding increase in complaints requiring action.