Parents at war with headteacher over late-night ‘aggressive and unpleasant’ emails

THE head of a secondary school is at war with parents over a series of “aggressive and unpleasant” late-night emails. Ben Stitchman is calling for parents to think twice after reporting a rise in critical messages aiming to “intimate” staff at Holmfirth High School. In a lengthy letter sent to parents, he wrote: “Following a […]

THE head of a secondary school is at war with parents over a series of “aggressive and unpleasant” late-night emails.

Ben Stitchman is calling for parents to think twice after reporting a rise in critical messages aiming to “intimate” staff at Holmfirth High School.

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Parents have hit back after Holmfirth High School’s head claimed they were responsible for ‘unpleasant’ late-night emails[/caption]

In a lengthy letter sent to parents, he wrote: “Following a lot of discussion, we have noticed some definite changes in the interactions we have with some of our parents and carers.

“It’s absolutely right and proper that parents and carers should be able to have a dialogue with school staff concerning their children but on too many occasions our staff have been treated poorly and been subject to behaviour that falls below what they have the right to expect.

“We do not accept that it is ok to shout or try to intimidate our staff.”

He continued: “The number of unpleasant and aggressive emails we receive has risen. This type of email is often sent late at night and could certainly benefit from a little additional time and reflection before being sent.

“We have also seen an increase in the number of parents and carers who refuse to accept that their child has done or could do anything wrong.

“No one is perfect and we all make mistakes, but too often parents and carers have recently wanted to challenge the school rather than deal with the issue at hand.”

Many angry parents quickly refuted the claims – labelling the school as “frustrated” following a difficult period managing coronavirus restrictions.

One parent told Yorkshire Live: “The school really ought to be directing these sorts of letters, and dealing with whatever the problems are, with the parents concerned.

“I think the communication problem reflects more to an issue with senior management at the school and less to parents; far from parents being ‘unpleasant’ or ‘aggressive’, I suspect they are simply frustrated.”

The school, which was judged to be ‘good’ in its Ofsted report earlier this month, is the latest to issue warnings to parents over their alleged behaviour.

The Sun has reached out to Holmfirth High School for further comment.