Abuse 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 the school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru.

The poll, conducted 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% of respondents, followed by threatening behaviour (64%) and online abuse (39%). More than one in ten (12%) school leaders said they had been physically attacked.

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

Many respondents described the toll the abuse had taken on their mental health, with some considering leaving the profession.

One school leader in Wales said: “Nasty emails are becoming more frequent. I receive abusive emails often from parents without any thought or any balance.” Another described “slanderous vexatious complaints which are targeted at individual members of staff.”

The findings suggest that abuse has worsened in recent years.

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

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

In response, some schools have taken action. Almost a third (30%) of school leaders in Wales said they had banned parents from school premises in the past year, 29% had reported incidents to the police, and 35% had contacted their local authority.

NAHT Cymru’s national secretary, Laura Doel, said: “These results lay bare a worrying trend emerging in Welsh schools whereby verbal and in extreme cases physical abuse is becoming part of the job. This is simply unacceptable. 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, said the problem is having a serious impact on the profession. “Some of the stories we are hearing about the appalling abuse leaders and their staff are suffering from parents are almost beyond belief,” he said.

“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.”

He also warned that abuse is contributing to staff leaving the profession, worsening recruitment and retention challenges in schools.

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.