Article: Complaints about schools Article Body If you want to make a complaint about a school, the complaint has to be dealt with by the school and its governing body. The local authority has no legal right or duty to deal with complaints about schools. However the local authority can offer help and advice about making a complaint. A complaints adviser from the Directorate for Children, Young People and Families will work with parents/carers and schools to find an early resolution to complaints. See below for contact details. The complaints adviser would normally inform the school when he/she has received a concern or complaint so that the school can take steps to deal with it. Where appropriate, the complaints adviser may also inform other services, such as Education Welfare, or Behaviour Support so that they can support the child, the family and the school as necessary. Any cases involving child protection issues will be referred to the Safeguarding Unit. What to do first Most concerns and complaints can be sorted out quickly by speaking with the appropriate member of school staff as soon as you have a concern. This should be the class teacher (primary schools) or the form tutor, subject teacher or head of year (secondary schools) in accordance with the school's procedures. What to do next If you are not satisfied with the response then you should make a formal complaint to the headteacher either in writing or by making an appointment to see the headteacher. All schools are required to have a procedure to deal with any complaints relating to the school, or to any facilities or services that the school provides for the local community. You can ask to see a copy. If the complaint is about the headteacher If the complaint is about the headteacher, contact the chairperson of the governing body for the school. You can write to them c/o the school address. What happens next The school will acknowledge your complaint and let you know how they are dealing with it. The school complaints procedure will set out their expected timescales for a response. If you remain dissatisfied If you remain dissatisfied you will be advised whether or not you have grounds on which to make an appeal to the governing bodys complaints committee. An appeal cannot be made simply on the grounds that you disagree with the outcome. Role of the local authority Where a complaint cannot be resolved, headteachers, governors and complainants can seek advice from the local authority. The local authority can nominate a senior officer to review whether or not the school managed the complaint in accordance with its procedure. The officer will not investigate the actual complaint made to the school. Local authorities are also required to have a procedure for dealing with certain types of complaints, for example complaints about the curriculum or collective worship in a school. Review of a complaint about a school If you wish to pursue a complaint because you feel a school has acted unreasonably or illegally, you can write to the Secretary of State for Children, Young People and Families at the Department for Children, Schools and Families, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT. Ofsted has also powers to investigate certain types of complaint from parents to help them to decide whether to inspect a school, though in most cases you should raise any problems with the school first. Details are provided for parents and carers on the Ofsted website. There are soon to be changes to the procedures for asking for a review of a complaint about a school. The Local Government Ombudsman has recently been asked to set up an independent review service for school complaints. In the first instance there is to be a pilot. Further information will be made available here once the Ombudsman arrangements are in place. Related links Direct.gov - Making a complaint to your child's school Ofsted - How to complain Complaints about services for children Where to go for more information Complaints Procedure how to make a complaint about a school contains more information on making a complaint about a school and you can download a Complaints Form by followng this link. Please note that these documents contain the same information given to schools as guidance by the local authority. Some schools may use ones slightly different to these. Please ask your school for a copy of their procedure. Equalities impact assessment Equalities impact assessment of complaints procedure and guidance for schools How to contact us Complaints Adviser Directorate for Children, Young People and Families Postal address: PO Box 634, Barnsley S70 9GG Telephone: 01226 773535 Monday to Thursday from 8.30am to 5.00pm and Fridays from 8.30am to 4.30pm Email: cypf@barnsley.gov.uk