Complaints to schools
Most of the time, any concerns you have about your child's education can best be settled by talking to the headteacher or a member of the school staff. However, there may be occasions when you want to make a complaint.
What to do first
Parents will be able to resolve many concerns or complaints, or potential complaints, by talking to a member of the school staff or the headteacher. This is where the process should normally start and unless there are exceptional circumstances you and the headteacher should talk fully before making any complaint to the governing body.
The school will be able to tell you who you should speak to first.
Schools will almost certainly have arrangements for someone other than the headteacher to help you first of all. If you don't know who to approach please get in touch with the school.
What to do if you are still not satisfied (formal complaint)
If you have made a complaint to the headteacher, but you are not satisfied with the response the headteacher will tell you how you can complain to the governing body. This is likely to involve completing a complaint form or writing a letter to the Chair of the governing body.
You should make it clear :
- why you are complaining:
- who you have spoken to already:
- what you want to happen as a result of your complaint.
The Chair of governors should arrange for your complaint to be considered and investigated under the arrangements approved by the governors. This is likely to involve a panel of governors appointed to act on behalf of the governing body.
If the Chair of governors or other governor has been involved in earlier discussions to try and help settle the disagreement at an earlier stage, he or she should arrange for another governor to take charge of the investigation and consider your complaint.
The governor in charge of investigating the complaint may ask to meet you personally so that you are able to clarify the nature and detail of your complaint.
The governing body will not normally be able to respond to your complaint at this stage. They should, however, give you full details of how they will carry out any further investigation or formal hearing and keep you up-to-date with progress.
How long will the school take to deal with my complaint?
Your child's school should deal with your concerns as quickly and efficiently as possible to make sure that you do not have to complain formally.
Should you need to make a formal complaint to the governing body, they will normally respond fully to your complaint within 28 school working days of receiving your written complaint. If this is not possible, they will let you know the reasons for the delay and will keep you informed of progress.
When the panel has fully investigated and considered your complaint, the Chair of the panel - or the governor responsible for the investigation - will write and let you know their findings. These findings will be reported to the governing body.
The Chair of the governing body will then write to you confirming the outcome of your complaint and any agreed actions to be taken.
What can I do if I am not satisfied with the outcome of the second stage of investigation?
Most people who complain are usually satisfied following the outcome of the formal complaint to the governing body.
However, if you remain dissatisfied you can make a complaint through the Have Your Say Process.
(Leaflets on Have your Say (HYS) are also available from any One Stop Shop or council building.)
Your complaint will then be investigated by the Complaints Team based at Wavertree Customer Focus Centre.
They can be contacted by e-mailing ChildrensServices.Complaints@liverpool.gov.uk , or by telephoning 0151 233 3225.