The last thing mums like me need is teachers behaving like the police

A new report by Tony Blair’s think tank recommends that school staff should be given the power to fine parents for a child’s bad behaviour, but mum-of-two Charlotte Cripps fears it will only make things worse...

I can’t face looking at the class WhatsApp – it’s full of mums complaining about “what the teacher has done now” and exploding head emojis.

It’s been particularly bad, this Christmas, when emotions are running high – and parents and teachers are suffering from burnout at the end of term. Everybody has had enough.

But mums are still having one last moan fest: “Joey says they’ve all been separated at playtime – they can’t play with their friends (followed by emojis)”.

“It’s like Cell Block H,” another mum replies about the tougher rules.

“No wonder the kids are behaving badly!” says another. “Willow told me the supply teacher is really mean – how do they expect to teach kindness if the teacher is like Dolores Umbridge at Hogwarts?” asks another.

It’s relentless – the parents v the teachers. Imagine how sour things would turn if parents started receiving fines for their children’s bad behaviour?

It’s not that far fetched – it’s what Tony Blair’s think tank is recommending. A new report argues that teachers should be given the power to fine parents for their children’s bad behaviour – in a bid to get parents to turn up to meetings with the school and agree on an action plan for their child.

Teachers should also be able to escalate matters to police, the NHS and social services if parents don’t engage with the school in this brutal crackdown.

Alexander Iosad, the Tony Blair Institute (TBI)’s director of government innovation, said that the report shows that teachers are “powerless and unsupported to tackle a rising epidermic of disruptive and dangerous behaviour”.

“We must shift the balance of authority back in favour of teachers and give them the support they need,” he said, adding: “For many other careers, a safe, non-disruptive environment is the bare minimum.”

To which I say: come on! Teachers turning into the police and fining parents? No thanks...

What parent wants to live in fear of the class teacher sending out a fine because your child gets so many red cards or detentions?

It’s a ridiculous idea – and school leaders have rightly spoken out about it as being counterproductive. As has a governor at a London state school I spoke to, who wishes to remain anonymous.

“Children who display difficult behaviour and aren’t diagnosed with extra educational needs often come from chaotic families,” she tells me. “I suspect that imposing a fine wouldn’t have the effects the government or schools are hoping to see.” She continues: “The penalty falls on the parent, not the child. Early intervention and prevention is the only effective way.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, also pointed out that while the report shows there are challenges faced by some badly behaved students, he is concerned that the policy could create a “significant additional burden” on schools and “exacerbate tensions with parents”.

And rather than start handing out fines, there should be access for children to specialist support and a more funding for pastoral support in schools.

I couldn’t agree more. Only last week, my daughter Lola, 8, was whacked in the face by a boy wielding a book who was angry with her – and she later got wrestled to the ground by another girl who wanted to take a tree branch off her.

Both times, I was called by the teacher to tell me that Lola was in the school office with an ice pack again – and luckily was okay. The culprits “would be disciplined”. But I still had to go through the uncomfortable stares at school pick up from the mums of the offending kids. I don’t like to get involved.

This, I might add, is at a state school in Kensington. It’s full of middle-class parents and children – some of whom have now moved their children over from the private school sector due to Labour’s VAT hike on school fees.

I can’t begin to imagine how bad the “epidemic” of bad behaviour is in schools across the UK – with some teachers saying their working lives have become “unbearable”. But while many parents are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis – which causes its own tensions – how is fining them for their child’s unruly behaviour going to help?

What about SEN kids with special educational needs – or those acting out because of emotional trauma? Where do teachers draw the line with fines? And how would it make a teacher feel knowing that by giving a fine, it’s potentially taking away from a family’s food budget?

It’s not a new idea, either. Ten years ago, Sir Michael Wilshaw, the former chief Ofsted inspector, argued in favour of fining those who skip parents’ evenings or who fail to enforce homework. In 2019, he said schools should fine parents up to £100 for swearing!

The truth is, I don’t believe slapping fines on parents will give teachers greater control of the classroom, make them feel safer or stop them from quitting. Charging people for taking their children out of school on holiday because airfares are cheaper might make parents sit up and look at the consequences – but it’s no way to address children’s behavioural issues.

We need to get a grip – the majority of children are well-behaved at school and the ones that aren’t need help and support, not fines. If looking at the class WhatsApps is anything to go by, us parents need to stop finger-pointing at the teachers and support them better.