11 February 2010
Voice: the union for education professionals has backed proposals announced today (11 February 2010) for parents to sign up to school behaviour policies when they apply for a school place.
General Secretary Philip Parkin said: "Schools need the support of parents in setting and maintaining good standards of discipline and behaviour.
"Without parental support, the efforts of schools to create a positive and successful learning environment can be undermined.
"However, signing up to a school’s policies is one thing; making sure that parents adhere to an agreement is another. Agreements will need to be enforced if they are to be taken seriously as a method of raising standards.
"The relationship between schools and parents is a delicate one. We would not like to see heads pursuing parents through the courts or trying to enforce other sanctions. This could end up as a dream for lawyers but a bureaucratic nightmare for head teachers, who already have heavy workloads."