ABSTRACT
Parenting is hard, especially parenting of adolescents. Parental attitudes to boys’ behaviour in relation to girls and women can sometimes be at odds with the school’s Behaviour Policy. This can cause tension between the school, the parents and the pupils. When parents and teachers disagree about the way forward following accusations of sexual abuse, the actual needs of the child are often overlooked. Schools can’t necessarily change the views held by those parents whose attitudes might be interpreted by many in society as sexist; but they can empower the pupils to be upstanding. Parental attitudes which do not align with the school’s ethos and policies cannot be allowed to get in the way of making progress towards a more equal and respectful society.
