Schools are required by law to have a complaints procedure which can be found easily.

How do I complain about my school?

If you are unhappy with how an issue has been dealt with at school, it may be worth talking about this with your parent(s). Either you or your parent(s) can make a complaint to the school following the school complaints procedure to try to resolve the issue.

You can request the school complaints procedure directly from the school or it may be accessible on the school website.

Thee is government guidance which gives an over-view of how schools should deal with complaints:

• Best Practice Guidance for School Complaint Procedures (for Local Authority maintained schools)
• Best Practice Guidance for Academies Complaints Procedures (for Academy schools)

What can I complain about?

• The way a bullying issue has been dealt with
• If you were given detention/excluded unfairly
• If you feel you are not getting the support you need for your SEN, mental health, medical condition or disability
• If the school changes the subjects you wish to take
• If a teacher or staff member did something you weren’t happy with.

How is a complaint dealt with?

It is recommended that each school follow a three stage process when handling a complaint:

• Complaint to staff member (informal)
• Complaint to head teacher (formal)
• Complaint to the Chair of the Governing Body