Violent parents attack one in 10 headteachers

School leaders have been punched, kicked, spat on, head-butted, bitten, attacked with chairs and tables and sexually assaulted, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said.

In a survey, almost 75 per cent of those quizzed said they had suffered verbal abuse or threats from a parent in the last five years.

Some 20 per cent have been victimised on a social networking site and more than 68 per cent said parents’ behaviour towards teachers has worsened over time.

Headteachers polled said that in some cases parents have turned up at school drunk or high on drugs.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the NAHT which represents more than 28,000 staff, said: “Policy-makers need to be aware that school leaders are not faceless bureaucrats who must be exposed to the public to help them ‘shape up’.

“They live and work in the cities, towns and villages that they serve. They meet parents daily inside and outside school, and they are instantly recognisable. Alone, in the school car park after a late governors’ meeting, parental pressure can take on a new meaning.

“The vast majority of families are a pleasure to work with but not all. Emotions run high when children are involved.

“School leaders often have to make difficult decisions about discipline, exclusions, holidays and the distribution of limited budgets. Many come under unacceptable pressure designed to effect undue influence on them.

“All are dedicated to doing what is best for the children in their care. Some pay a high personal cost for this dedication.”

In the most notorious case, headteacher Philip Lawrence, 48, an old boy of Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, was stabbed to death outside St George’s Roman Catholic School in Maida Vale, west London, in December 1995 when he went to help a pupil who was being attacked by a gang.

Among cases the NAHT uncovered involved one headteacher being attacked by rock-throwers, while another said he was punched after speaking to a mother high on drugs who was swearing in front of nursery children and other parents.

One spoke of being punched and whipped with a coat before being attacked with a table, while in another case a parent attempted to run over a head teacher in a car park. One woman head said she was punched in the face, kicked, spat at, sexually assaulted and had her hair pulled.

Teachers at Darwen Vale High School in Lancashire took part in a one-day strike earlier this month in a row over the level of support for staff when dealing with disruptive pupils including cases where staff have been pushed and sworn at.

The industrial action came days after Education Secretary Michael Gove pledged to give teachers more power to deal with poor behaviour in the classroom.

Surveys show bad classroom behaviour is still the main reason why teachers leave the profession and why many people are turned off teaching.

According to latest figures, almost 1,000 children are suspended every school day for abuse and assault, while nearly a third of all permanent exclusions in secondary schools are due to persistent disruptive behaviour.

Mr Hobby added: “Every now and again, someone tries to whip up indignation about heads’ salaries.

“We’re comfortable with some forms of transparency on pay, because we know there is nothing to hide, but let’s think carefully about how this will play out in reality.

“It’s hard enough to get people to do the job as it is without subjecting them to further abuse from a small minority of ill-informed and ill-disciplined parents.”