School complaints procedure
The school complaints procedure can only be
used for complaints about schools. For all other council
complaints, please follow the corporate
complaints procedure. Once you have read and understood the
school complaints procedure you can submit your complaint
online through our have your say form.
Informal complaints
The informal stage is when you contact the
school with your complaint by phone, letter or a visit to the
school. The school should give you the opportunity to discuss your
concerns with the appropriate member of staff.
At this stage, the headteacher or member of staff should attempt to
resolve your concerns.
If your complaint relates to a headteacher and you have been unable
to resolve your concerns directly with them, then you should
contact the Chair of the Governing Body.
If your complaint has not been resolved informally, you can move
onto stage 1 of the formal complaints procedure.
Stage one – Formal complaint to the headteacher or Chair of
Governors
This stage requires you to ask the headteacher
to formally investigate your complaint. If the complaint is
about the headteacher, you should send a letter to the Chair of
Governors, care of the school. The Chair or a designated
governor will carry out the investigation and reply to you within
15 school working days.
If you are not satisfied with the response and
you wish to go to stage two, you must put your complaint in writing
within five school working days from the date you receive the stage
1 decision.
Stage two – Formal complaint to the Board of Governors
If you are still unhappy you must put your
complaint in writing to the Board of Governors, care of the school
and an independent School Complaints Committee will be
arranged.
Schools may wish to seek advice at this stage from the likes of the
local authority, Board of Education (C of E) or Diocesan Schools'
Commission (RC).
The committee meeting should be arranged with at least 5 school
working days notice. At the meeting the issues around the complaint
can be discussed, with everyone involved invited to put their case
forward.
You will be sent a written response within 15 days of the more
formal complaint being made.
Stage three – Appeal to the Secretary of State for Children,
Schools and Families or the Ombudsman
If you are not happy with the outcome of stage two, you can
contact us for advice on what to do next. For example, an appeal
can be made to the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and
Families or to the local authority Ombudsman.