The handwritten letter began ominously enough: “Dear teacher. I hope you understand, but we have deep concerns about our son’s homework.”
I felt my throat tighten: I knew what was coming next.
It was the day after International Women’s Day and, as a homework task, I had asked my male pupils to read an excerpt from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s book-length essay We Should All Be Feminists. The excerpt offered a progressive perspective on gender roles and, as part of their personal response, I asked pupils to share their views on gender and how they envisaged a just world.
The letter continued: “We feel the excerpt shows a lack of balance. Therefore, we have told our son not to do this piece of homework.”
My head of department wasn’t keen to support me in responding and discouraged me from making a fuss. I was advised to set the pupil an alternative piece of work and forget about the letter.
A few years on, I am still frustrated that the situation was swept under the carpet and I wish I had taken a different course of action.
Now, as a middle leader, I empower my team at times of parental challenge and I use three key questions to guide my response.
1. Are the concerns valid?
When you’ve spent hours preparing a new scheme of work, it can take a lot of empathy to see things from the parent’s point of view. Before you fire back an email, take a moment to pause and consider their central concern.
Are they worried that their child isn’t being stretched enough?
If so, reassure them of the extension opportunities available each lesson and of the strategies you are employing to help their child progress across the unit.
Are they concerned about poor professional standards?
Discuss the matter with the relevant teacher and determine if the allegations are founded. If they are, put in place training and support mechanisms, escalate to senior leaders where required, and let the parents know what they can expect from the school going forward.
Are they a regular complainer, or are they motivated by personal attitudes at odds with school values?
The parent described above didn’t want his son to be exposed to material that questioned traditional gender roles. While his views could be considered harmfully outdated, the most effective response would have been to reinforce the learning goals of the homework task and to remind him of the wider school values of equality and respect.
2. Is additional support needed?
Remember that you don’t need to handle the situation alone. If you are a classroom teacher, it’s important to seek active support from your head of department. If you are the HoD, and the parent wishes to escalate their complaint, asking senior leaders for support is the next sensible step.
Aim to meet the parent face to face: even the most furious of keyboard warriors can be disarmed with an in-person conversation that allows them to air their grievances. Set clear boundaries at this meeting around which of their concerns will lead to action and which won’t: you are willing to implement intervention strategies to strengthen their child’s progress, for example, but you won’t remove a topic from the curriculum because they personally dislike it.
More teaching and learning:
Ensure you take notes of your discussion and follow up with a clear course of action that includes time frames for each step. You may wish to arrange a follow-up communication with the parent at a later date to check in and update them about the outcome of the action undertaken.
3. Does anything need to change?
If parental complaints are pouring in thick and fast, or point to significant professional oversights, it is important to reflect on what’s going wrong.
Consider whether you or your team require any further resources or training to upskill and request appropriate CPD opportunities from senior leaders. Ask other willing colleagues to contribute to projects: overseeing a key stage curriculum review may encourage fresh ideas and a culture of collaboration, for example.
Take the time to reach out to the wider school community to explore innovative ways of enhancing teaching and learning. Observe others in your school community or across local partnerships and welcome them into your classroom to share ideas. A wide variety of industry bodies run fantastic training on everything from decolonising and diversifying the curriculum to developing advanced subject knowledge and getting Ofsted ready.
Emma Newton has worked as an English teacher and key stage leader in a variety of schools for the past 13 years. From September 2022, she will take on the role of senior school head of English at Cranmore in Surrey
