Industry News
Parents 'forcing independent school teachers out of jobs'
Posted on 19th March 2008
The Association of Teacher and Lecturers (ATL) has said that many private schools are sacking teachers as a result of complaints from parents.
John Richardson, ATL's national official for the independent sector, told the union's annual conference that schools are "very sensitive" to the demands of parents as they fear losing valuable business, according to the Press Association.
Unlike in the state sector, where parents tend to have less of a say because they do not pay the schools, parents whose children go to independent schools pay thousands of pounds a year and therefore often expect to have more input.
"There is a certain amount of pressure which comes from parents who have very high expectations for exam results given that they have paid," Mr Richardson said.
The newswire cites one instance of a teacher being called into the head's office because the parents of a child who achieved 90 per cent, rather than the expected 95, in an exam had complained.
Delegates to the ATL conference also heard yesterday how many teachers in independent schools do not have formal contracts and often work long hours for relatively low pay.