Martin Henderson has written to all mums and dads threatening legal action after an increase in bad language.
'Concern'
The letter said: "This must stop immediately. Parents who persist in using foul language will be asked to stay away from the site by myself through the local authority legal team using a banning order.
"I do not want to take this action but the protection of your children from such behaviour is my primary concern.
"Your children deserve the best and should not be witness to such behaviour."
Mr Henderson, head of Westmorland Primary in Brinnington, Stockport, says he has received several complaints since the start of term about the way mums and dads were speaking to each other - and their children.
He said: "I think it's often just in day-to-day conversation and no offence is meant but there are little ears there listening. Parents have been heard to shout aggressively at their children. It's usually 'get here, you little b******' and that sort of thing.
"It's not that they are shouting at other people's children, it's that they are swearing at their own kids.
"It's a cultural thing round here. But parents need to know we won't accept that on site." He added: "Several parents have come up and said 'congratulations, well done - this is what the school needed."
Mr Henderson intends to take action using powers - known as a '547 notice' - under the Education Act 1996, to ban parents from school premises indefinitely if they are abusive or causing a nuisance.
Parents at the 430-pupil school, on Westmorland Drive, welcomed the head teacher's ban.
Claire Perkin. 29, of Northumberland Road, Brinnington, a dinner lady who has two children at the school, Torilee, 10 and four-year-old Amelia said; "It isn't nice hearing adults swear at the best of times and it's even worse when children do it. It slips out of peoples' mouths every now and then and we're only human. But to do it in front of children is awful. I think children swearing is a real sign of disrespect towards parents and we should do what we can to stop it."
Donna Maskell, 32, of Cawood Square, Brinnington, Stockport has three children at the school, Terri, eight, Nature, six and Trevor, four. Donna, who is also a school governor said: "This is a good thing. There should be no swearing when children are about. I do it myself sometimes but I don't do it in front of the kids. We need to show other schools that swearing shouldn't be allowed. Swearing should be banned in all schools."
Mark Mitchell, 40, of Penshurst Road has one daughter at the school, seven-year-old Megan. He said: "People tend to be a little blunt in their language these days. I wouldn't encourage it but it seems to be a fact of life. I try to moderate my language in front of children. If the school wants to ban it from the playground more power to them."
Mum Sarah Metcalf, from Brinnington, said: "I think when older kids swear it can affect the impressionable younger ones. If they hear a swearword it can present problems when those awkward questions come up at home and parents have to explain what the word means. I try not to swear at home and if they do hear a word from another parent it undoes that work."
'Medal'
Jean Edwards, who has a grandson at Westmorland, said she was delighted to read the letter. Mrs Edwards, 76, of Romiley Way, said: "He deserves a medal for this. "On two occasions and I have had to move my grandson away from mothers because every other word has been F- this and F- that.
"It's atrocious and it's going round the playground." Westmorland Primary merged with nearby Tame Valley Primary last September, after Tame Valley fell into special measures. This term is the first time the two have shared the same site, with a £1.5m rebuild due to be completed at the end of November. Mr Henderson, who has been head at Westmorland for six years, said: "In the last two weeks we have brought two sides of the community together onto the Westmorland Drive site. "It's a great school and the children deserve the best and should not have to witness this." Tweet
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Well done Mr Henderson!
Lets hope that this incentive has some benefit to your community.
When out and about it's horrendous the way some parents speak to their children and to each other.
What sort of parent would scream obscenities at their child? The sort that shouldnt be allowed to raise children in the first place, thats who.
At our local school one or two teachers are at the doors to greet children and parents when they come and go.I think this helps behaviour all round,children and parents.Before this there were more incidents in the playground before school had even started.Ive also noticed people rarely smoke near school,another good thing.Im seeing how much early years teachers are doing for children who seem happier in the school environment these days.Its a tough job in deprived areas these days so hopefully wont attract the incompetent.Its the biggest hope along with Surestart of changing the educational hopes and aspirations of our children.At our school teachers seem so flexible ,understanding and kind to struggling parents.They need our support more than ever.And tough ,intelligent leadership.
Quite right too. The foremost teacher's in a childs life are its parents and they will pick up everything from them. There is nothing more horrible than hearing a young child use foul language and those parents who think its funny need their heads feeling. Kids will pick up swear words as they grow - you cannot prevent this and its a part of growing up, but as a child I would never have dreamt of swearing in front of my parents. Especially in front of my Dad - I would have got a smack - which is probably is what is missing too much these days thanks to do gooders. I never classed a smack as a beating - it was a punishment which I wanted to avoid and so behaved well! (most of the time!!!)
b@@''dy right as well,
but you can bet that some of the parents will have a moan about this
Look at where the school is, Brinnington, kind of explains it , makes Wythenshawe look like Prestbury, the area is full of layabouts, fiddlers, thieves, drug dealers and takers, single parents with multiple kids from different fathers, very very high number of benefit claimants. The Headteacher is quite right and should go one further if a parent called their child a little b*****d and make sure social services get involved. There is however an old saying nits breed lice.
Look at where the school is, Brinnington, kind of explains it , makes Wythenshawe look like Prestbury, the area is full of layabouts, fiddlers, thieves, drug dealers and takers, single parents with multiple kids from different fathers, very very high number of benefit claimants. The Headteacher is quite right and should go one further if a parent called their child a little b*****d and make sure social services get involved. There is however an old saying nits breed lice.
Where someone is born and brought up should not affect how you look at them, this snobbery of the worst kind. People should be treated as individuals and not judged because of their area.
This kind of language is becoming the normal thing now wherever you go, even youngsters to parents as well. What is the world coming to?
Quite right too.
What sort of example are these parents setting to their own and other parents' children?
My parents have never used inappropriate language in front of me, and I have never used inappropriate language in front of them. That's not to say I don't use 'bad language', however I am aware of when I can and can't use it. Simple really.
unfortunately this is probably not an isolated case.i think that parents who take their children to school should not only watch their p's & Q's in front of not only their children but other parents children as well. my child goes to cheetwood school in cheetham hill and i've seen parents still in their pyjamas, dressing gown, slippers and holding a cup of tea when they have taken their kids to school,it sets a bad example to the child (that's if the parent is even bothered about what other people think) as why get dressed if all your going to do for the rest of the day is stay at home in front of the TV, but it also gives a bad example to other people passing on the standards of the school. all parents going to drop their children off at school should be properly dressed as should the children.
Mr Henderson deserve respect and praise for taking such a noble stance.
Sadly, it will do nothing to help they children of those foul mouthed parents as they cannot control swearing in their main classroom, their homes.
I just hope that having such a good man as Headmaster leads those children a better education and future than their parents seem to have ever had.
Bravo Mr Henderson...hopefully your initiative will eventually permeate into the psyche of those involved.But if not,it will certainly do so for the future generation you are educating now.
LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL
Please somebody help me I can’t stop laughing at this. This educated person is threatening to take a banning order out against parents who swear at their kids in a school in Brinnington.
LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL.
Does he really think parents who behave like this really care about a banning order? And in any case he can only ban them from the school grounds so all they will do is just carry on outside the school gates. And I wouldn’t mind betting that this would give many of those who behave like that the excuse they need to not to haul their lazy backsides out of bed in the morning to take their kids to school.
Someone please tell this miss-guided person he is the head teacher in a school in Brinnington not Bramhall. If a parent at the school calls their child a little b@@tard, well unless that child is 7 feet tall they are probably just identifying their offspring with very accurate words.
He may consider asking the police schools officer to attend who may (but probably won’t) consider an offence under the Public Order Act.
This really has brightened up my day thanks MEN
LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL
He won't be having any dialogue at all with the parents then.
That's the only language they know ...vile and expletives.
brave man, liberty is probably going to back a human rights case against him for. how dare he comment on the behaviour of these fine people.
<joke>
This action should be taken at all schools. There is nothing worse than hearing little ones coming out with foul language (or anyone for that matter). Ones so little can only hear it in one place - the home.
It is true that swearing is a substitute for poor vocabulary. Thick parents will produce even thicker children and I feel sorry for the children who do have a good brain to have those brains polluted!
I find the use of bad language from parents at my childs school also shocking, i was entering school last week to drop my daughter off and we were behind a mum talking to another mum about the Head calling her in for her sons late arrivals at class and she said to the head that he was F****ing lucky he was at school at all... and was laughing about it. what chance have theres children got
Steve an alternative view - Great post, it made me Laugh out load (really it did)
What a great sentiment, "if a parent at a school in Brinnington, calls their child a little b@@tard, they are probably just identifying their offspring with very accurate words".
LOL
This really has brightened up my day thanks MEN
LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL
Is it me.Dont know if thats true these days.Thick parents breed thicker children.I often meet 7 yr olds brighter than their parents.Shows that education is improving things.
Totally agree with him, however he will struggle to change this don’t give a dam attitude that is rife among our so-called ‘society’.
'There is no such thing as society'
Good old Maggie.
Watch the movie, Idiocracy, for a glimpse of the future. Faiing that,Google it!
Parents swearing at their children, then the children swearing back..It's a learned response..The apple doesnt fall far from the tree...But the actions of a few people who will not tolerate this nonsensense can change the situation for for future generations who will not have to hear this sort of rubbish in schools....