South Tyneside school takes hard line on social media disputes - fires warning to parents
Boldon School have taken a hard line when it comes to outside of hours disputes - sending this letter reminding parents of their responsibility.
A South Tyneside headteacher has rebuked parents who let their children’s online fights fester in the classroom – warning her teachers will no longer intervene.
Boldon School leader Louise Pippin said she had had enough of her staff getting dragged into a growing number of disputes that originate outside of teaching hours.
Teenage online spats are ‘none of their business’
She insisted such teenage spats were none of their business and had nothing to do with their jobs – and told mums and dads to sort out the mess themselves.
In a strongly worded Facebook post, she revealed teachers had become bogged down delegating - impacting their ability to teach.
Mrs Pippin said it was “no longer sustainable” for them to investigate or resolve the fallouts and that a “disproportionate” amount of teaching time was being lost doing so.
She maintained it was parents’ responsibility to monitor online activity and supervise their offspring and to take responsibility.
Instead of burdening teachers, Mrs Pippin, head of the 1,000-pupil school since 2024, said parents should in some instances consider contacting the police.
Her hard-hitting stance has won the support of teaching union the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).
It said schools could not hope to solve issues around children and social media on their own, calling it a “societal” problem.
In her post, Mrs Pippin insisted conflicts that happen at school would continue to receive appropriate attention.
But she added: ‘We wish to address the increasing concerns being raised by students regarding disputes that are occurring on social media platforms outside of school hours.
‘School will always endeavour to work with families for the safety of our students.
“Positive collaboration is always in the best interests of all; therefore, we are seeking your ongoing support in this crucial matter.
‘At present, our staff are spending a dipropionate amount of time investigating online conflicts that take place when students are not in the care of school staff.
‘While we understand that these situations can be distressing for families and students, the volume and complexity of these matters has reached a level that is no longer sustainable for school staff to investigate.
‘As educators, our primary responsibility is to provide a safe, supportive, and high-quality learning environment during the school day.
‘Unfortunately, the significant time required to investigate and respond to offsite special media disputes is impacting our ability to focus on the core priority.
School reminds parents of their responsibility
‘Social media activity that occurs outside of school hours is ultimately a matter of parental supervision and responsibility.’
She added: ‘While we will continue to address issues that directly impact student safety and wellbeing while students are at school, we must be clear that the school does not have the capacity to investigate or resolve disputes that originate and occur online when students are not under our care.
‘School will no longer be able to become involved in social media disputes that take place outside of school hours.
‘We strongly encourage families to monitor their children’s online activity, set clear expectations around appropriate online behaviour, and address concerns directly at home or with the police on 101.’
In a following statement to the Gazette, Mrs Pippin added: “Keeping our students safe and supported remains at the heart of everything we do, and we have strong systems in place to do this while pupils are in our care at school.
“The letter shared on our social media channels is a reminder to parents and carers about the boundaries of the school’s role when it comes to social media issues that take place outside school hours.
“While we will always act on matters that affect our students during the school day, online disputes that happen out of school when students are not in our care, require the support and supervision of our parents, carers and wider community.
“We continue to work closely with families and partners to encourage positive online behaviour and ensure pupils feel safe, but this shared approach is essential to allow us to focus on providing a safe, high‑quality learning environment during the school day.”
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the ASCL, was supportive and said: “School staff are often being left to deal with the fallout of disputes that occur online and on social media, and this can be hugely time-consuming.
“The impact that social media is having on children and young people is significant, and we welcome the government’s consultation looking at how children use digital technology and if stronger restrictions are needed.
“However, it’s clear that this is a societal issue and not something that school leaders can possibly solve on their own.”