Boss of prominent trust says 'powerful minority' of parents is 'greatest single problem facing' secondariesBoss of prominent trust says 'powerful minority' of parents is 'greatest single problem facing' secondariesA trust CEO has blamed worsening behaviour in schools on “dreadful parents” who side-stepped the “reality of tough love” when they were growing up. Gorse Academies Trust boss Sir John Townsley believes their conduct is “the greatest single problem facing” English secondaries, with the issue denting staff morale and the performance of disadvantaged pupils. Writing in the Telegraph over the weekend, Townsley argued secondaries have reached a “tipping point” over behaviour, after a “a powerful minority of parents” emerged 10 years ago. ‘Dreadful parents’“The majority of those parents were born in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ‘Greatest single problem’“This painful reality is seldom talked about but is now the greatest single problem facing secondary schools across our country today.