Hostility between parents and schools has grown since pandemic, says Ofsted head

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.”

Related: Ofsted’s ‘simplistic judgments’ no longer fit for purpose, schools experts warn

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.

Asked if parental complaints were becoming more vexatious, Spielman said: “There are times, for example, during inspections when it’s obvious that parents are wanting to use the opportunity to give Ofsted input in ways that reinforce some kind of campaign, and inspectors are very good at recognising when that’s happening.”

Spielman urged parents to first address their concerns to school leaders or governors. “It clouds things when people press the button on an Ofsted complaint before they’ve talked to the school or been to governors about it. That should always be the path that people take, except in the most serious whistleblowing-type cases.”

Spielman said she was optimistic that learning by pupils was recovering from the pandemic, with 89% of schools in England now rated as good or outstanding. However, the report says high demand for special education needs and mental health services is straining the limited resources available.

Spielman also called for headteachers to be given more guidance from the government on “delicate choices” over the teaching of relationships and sex education and the handling of transgender and other identity issues.

“There needs to be greater central guidance, for several reasons: for more consistent treatment of children and young people in different contexts; to support schools and others under pressure; and to make sure that what is and isn’t accepted in schools isn’t simply driven by the loudest voices,” Spielman said.

The chief inspector said schools should beware of accidentally bringing antagonism into the classroom through discussion of controversial issues or current events.

“If people are running political campaign stalls in schools to enlist people to support things that are clearly contentious, that does have potential to make children feel isolated, unhappy or uncomfortable,” Spielman said.

Since the 7 October attacks on Israel and the invasion of Gaza, Spielman said, inspectors had found “a very small number” of complaints of antisemitism or Islamophobic behaviour. “I want to emphasise they are relatively few at the moment and I very much hope it stays that way,” she said.

The annual report makes no mention of Ruth Perry, the Berkshire headteacher who her family said killed herself earlier this year after her primary school was downgraded by Ofsted inspectors from outstanding to inadequate.

The controversy over Perry’s death has increased calls for reforms to the way Ofsted inspects schools. Spielman responded indirectly to some of the critics, saying: “It is Ofsted that has to make the tough calls when provision of any kind is not good enough for children, and some contention will always flow from that.”

A survey published on Thursday by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) found that four out of five school leaders in England thought Ofsted’s inspection grades were unreliable, and only a fifth felt they provided useful information for parents.

When asked how they felt about their school’s next Ofsted inspection, the top five words given by leaders were anxious, sick, stressed, terrified and dread.

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the NAHT, said: “This is a pretty damning indictment of how far Ofsted has lost its way. Far from driving school improvement, inspections are seen as inaccurate, unreliable, and of little use to parents or schools. Ofsted is clearly no longer fit for purpose.”