Social contract between parents and schools broken since Covid, Ofsted says

Chief inspector’s report on England’s schools highlights absenteeism and parental challenges to rules

The “unwritten agreement” between parents and schools in England has broken since the Covid pandemic, according to Ofsted’s chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, with pupil absences remaining stubbornly high and disruptive behaviour now more common.

Delivering her final annual report as His Majesty’s chief inspector, Spielman said: “We have seen a troubling shift in attitudes since the pandemic. The social contract that has long bound parents and schools together has been damaged.