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How and when to stop a meeting due to violent or threatening behaviour

You should never be expected to tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour from parents or carers. Find out when you can stop a meeting or interaction that has become unsafe, what your legal standing is, and how to end the meeting professionally.

Last reviewed on 6 July 2026
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 45835
Contents
  1. Your school has a duty of care towards its employees and governors
  2. You can stop meetings and remove disruptive individuals
  3. When to stop a meeting or interaction
  4. How to end a meeting safely and professionally
  5. What to do after you stop a meeting

Your school has a duty of care towards its employees and governors

Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires employers to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees. Advice from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says that the specific duties to protect employees from work-related violence and aggression includes verbal abuse as well as physical attacks. This also applies if someone is a contractor or self-employed. 

This means that staff members, including the headteacher and governors, shouldn't be placed in dangerous or upsetting situations or expected to:

To support this, your school should have clear policies in place, such as a parent/carer code of conduct, complaints policy or a policy on dealing with abusive visitors. These should clearly set out expectations for behaviour and state that meetings will be stopped or cancelled if