Addressing delegates at the Association of School and College Leaders annual conference in Liverpool, he will say: “I want to address the increasingly strained relationship between schools and some of our parents.

“When I speak to colleagues across the country, many tell me they feel under siege from a growing culture of complaints.

“These grievances aren’t just directed at schools – they’re escalated to Ofsted, the Teaching Regulation Agency, the Department for Education, and local authorities. And if that weren’t enough, they are often amplified on social media, adding further pressure to already overstretched staff, who feel unable to respond.”

And he will highlight a survey conducted on behalf of ASCL by Teacher Tapp in which state school teachers and leaders in England were asked what reasons they had been given for pupil absence this academic year. 

We asked the same question last year – and the issues identified have worsened (last year’s results in brackets):

Family wants to take a holiday during term time: 93% (87%)
Pupil is attending a family event: 81% (76%)
Pupil is too anxious about school to attend: 74% (66%)
Pupil kept home because they are tired after an event the night before: 61% (51%)
Pupil kept home because parent/ carer is in dispute with school: 36% (32%)
Pupil wants to work online from home (other than due to illness): 13% (8%)

Mr Di’Iasio will say that the findings over school-related anxiety highlights the urgent need for better mental health support but that the other reasons point to a different issue.

He will say: “We all know something changed in society after the Covid-19 pandemic. I can’t pinpoint exactly why, but for some families, school seems to have become – at least in part – optional. And that mindset persists.

“The blunt instrument of fines is not reversing this trend. Last year alone, a staggering 443,000 penalty notices were issued for unauthorised family holidays – an increase of 87,000 from the previous year. 

“But far from solving the problem, fines often deepen tensions between schools and parents. Schools, simply enforcing the rules, are left looking like the villains.

“So, what’s the solution?

“For a start, ministers should engage with the travel industry to address the excessive cost of holidays during school breaks – a major driver of term-time absences.

“But beyond that, we need a broader cultural shift. It’s time to refresh and renew the social contract with a declaration agreed and developed by schools, government, and parents working together.

“This means setting out clear expectations, the importance of following the rules for the collective good, and the proper channels for complaints.

“Such an agreement should be developed, endorsed, and promoted by everyone with a stake in education. We need to speak with one voice.”

In a poll in February, Teacher Tapp asked teachers and school leaders in England: “This academic year, have you been given any of these reasons for pupil absence?” The results for respondents in state-funded schools were:
 

		All		Primary		Secondary
Pupil wants to work online from home (other than due to illness)		13%		3%		23%
Pupil is too anxious about school to attend		74%		57%		92%
Family wants to take a holiday during term time		93%		94%		91%
Pupil kept home because parent/carer is in dispute with school		36%		27%		46%
Pupil kept home because they are tired after an event the night before		61%		62%		60%
Pupil is attending a family event		81%		78%		84%
None of these		2%		2%		1%
Not relevant/cannot answer		2%		1%		2%
Unique responders		9,127		3,330		5,797