You should first speak to your child's teacher if you are unhappy about:
- an event that happened to your child at school
- the service being provided by your child's school
If you haven't been able to resolve the issue by talking to the teacher, you can follow the next three stages of the complaints process below.
Stage 1
Write a letter to the head teacher of the school. You should get a response to your complaint within 10 school days.
If the headteacher's response does not resolve your complaint, you can move to stage 2 below.
Stage 2
Write a letter to the chair of governors for the school. You can find out how to contact them through the school office. You should get a response to your complaint within 10 school days.
If the response from the chair of governors does not resolve your complaint, you can move to stage 3 below.
Stage 3
You will need to ask the panel of governors to arrange a meeting. You will be invited to go to the meeting so that you can speak to the panel. Make sure to share any paperwork you have before the meeting starts.
You should get a response from the chair of governors about the outcome, within 10 days of the meeting taking place.
Complaints to the Department for Education (DFE)
If all of the above stages have not resolved the issue, the final option is to complain to the Secretary of State through the Department for Education (DFE).
You can also contact the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) for further advice.