TEACHERS are facing shocking levels of verbal and physical abuse - from parents.

A new survey shows almost a third of teachers said they had been verbally abused.

And one in five responding to the justforteachers website quiz said they had been physically abused.

Manchester headteacher Wendy Little knows how terrifying it can be to meet an aggressive parent - at a previous school, she was threatened by a man wielding a meat cleaver.

But she is still keen for all parents to air their grievances and be welcomed into school.

She believes most parents only become upset or aggressive because they want the best for their child.

''I can understand how frustrated a parent can be,'' said Mrs Little, who is head at Chorlton Park Primary School, ''but you have to take the heat out of the situation.

''Thirty years ago, there wasn't the openness in school that there is today, so teachers were put in an ivory tower - and you had to do what the teacher said.

''I'm sure there would have been parents then who wanted to discuss their grievances, but there wouldn't have been the same accessibility.

Accessibilty

''Even now, I would prefer parents to be honest about their feelings in school than mutter about it in the playground. If they come in, we can deal with how they feel.''

At Moorside High School, in Swinton, no parent is seen by staff without an appointment, to avoid abusive situations. Deputy head Paul Simpson said this means that when parents are seen by staff, they are feeling more rational.

''We try to deal with complaints as quickly as possible, but we do it through an appointment system we set up a few years ago,'' he said.

''Teachers can feel vulnerable if they are put in a position where parents have not had the chance to think things through. It's important to have the chance to reflect.''

Henny Fordham, who is editor of the justforteachers.co.uk website that carried out the research, believes there should be greater support for teachers.

''They have to cope with different stresses throughout their career,'' he said, ''like performance tables, unruly pupils, long hours and now badly-behaved mums and dads.''

A spokesman for Manchester local education authority said: ''Tackling abuse against teachers goes hand in hand with the city's regeneration programmes, which are now beginning to take substantial effect.''