Principal and parent representatives have reported parent antics that include verbally abusing teachers, smoking, swearing, gossiping, fighting, bringing dogs into the school yard, interrupting class and failing to obey traffic rules in school zones.

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It comes after two Coalfields men were charged on Tuesday with affray, for allegedly getting into a fight outside Cessnock East Public School during the first week of school.

Two boys, aged 11 and 14 and from different schools, became involved in a scuffle outside the school about 9.30am on Tuesday.

The situation escalated when their fathers became involved.

Police broke up the fight after they were called by other parents.

The father of the 11-year-old, 40, and the other father, 44, will both face Cessnock Local Court later this month.

Bureau of Crime Statistics figures show that police charge almost 200 people a year for assault in the grounds of Hunter education institutions.

They also picked up 72 people for harassment, threatening behaviour and private nuisance, nine for offensive conduct and six for offensive language in 2010.

Primary Principals Association Newcastle president Narelle Hunt said most problems could be avoided with a clear code of conduct for parents.

‘‘Issues with other parents need to be conducted off school grounds,’’ she said.

‘‘Sometimes people act before they think but that happens everywhere, not just schools.’’

Ms Hunt said most schools issued reminders at the start of the year, especially about traffic.

She said parents could lose perspective and forget to make an appointment to discuss problems.

‘‘You can have 300 children that you’re concerned about, but parents are concerned about one, two or three of them,’’ she said.

Newcastle and Lake Macquarie District Council of P&C spokeswoman Clarice Hamling said she had seen smoking, swearing and gossiping in school yards but most parents behaved themselves.

Dogs in the playground was a perpetual issue, she said.

‘‘Those things are a problem at schools every day,’’ she said.