Institutional gaslighting refers to situations where an organisation dismisses, minimises, or reframes people’s experiences in ways that cause them to question their own understanding of events. In school contexts, this can occur when families raise concerns about harm, discrimination, or unmet supports and are told that nothing unusual happened, that the situation is being misunderstood, or that the problem lies with the child or family rather than the system. Institutional gaslighting does not always involve deliberate deception; it can also arise from defensive institutional responses that prioritise protecting reputation, liability, or internal narratives. Over time, repeated denial or reframing of events can erode families’ confidence in their own observations and make it harder to advocate effectively. Recognising institutional gaslighting helps explain why some conflicts between families and institutions feel disorienting: the disagreement is not only about what happened, but about whose version of reality is treated as credible.