Making a complaint about education in England

If you have any concerns, try discussing it with your child’s key person or the manager of the setting. In most cases, you should be able to resolve any problems with them directly.

If you feel your concerns have not been addressed, you can ask to see the setting’s complaints policy. All registered early years and childcare settings must have a complaints policy in writing. They must keep a record of the outcome of the investigation and notify you with the outcome within 28 days.

If this doesn’t address your concern or your concern is urgent, you can contact Ofsted directly (GOV.UK).

If your complaint is about the range of childcare services available in your area, you can complain to your local authority. Your local authority website should have information about how you can do this.

Contact our Helpline for advice and support when making a complaint about your deaf child's early education or childcare.

Before making a complaint, read up on policies and guidance that could help you.

• All state-funded schools should have a complaints policy, which should be available on their website. Ask to see this policy so you know what to expect and how your complaint should be handled.
• Ask if the school has specific policies relating to the issue you’re complaining about, such as an equal opportunities policy or anti-bullying policy.
• The Department for Education (DfE) has published a list of all statutory guidance that schools must follow to comply with the law. Statutory guidance for schools (GOV.UK).

To make a complaint about your child’s school, follow these steps:

1. If possible, raise your concern or complaint informally with the people involved. For example, if you’re worried about your child’s progress, talk to their class teacher or the school’s special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo).
2. If the person you’ve spoken to can’t help, or you aren’t satisfied with their response, you could make a formal complaint to the headteacher.
3. If you aren’t happy with the school’s response to your complaint, the next step is to raise it with the school governing body. The complaints policy or any letter you receive in response to your complaint should explain how to do this and when you can expect a response.
4. If you’ve taken the school’s complaints policy as far as possible, you can take the issue further by contacting the DfE. Complain about a school (GOV.UK).

• If possible, always raise any concerns you have informally before making a formal complaint.
• When making a formal complaint, make it clear that you’re making a formal complaint and ask them to treat your complaint in line with their complaints policy.
• Think about what your complaint is aiming to achieve. Do you want an apology? For the other person to admit they made a mistake? To make sure bad practice doesn’t happen again? Make sure you explain what you want to happen when you make the complaint.
• Try to keep all correspondence in writing and keep copies of any letters, emails, meeting notes or reports to do with the complaint. These records may be useful later if you need to take your complaint further.
• If you speak with someone on the phone, keep a record of what was said and the name of the person you spoke with. It can be helpful to send a follow-up email with a summary of what was said and agreed.
• Read up on your rights in education. Sometimes, just showing that you’re aware of your rights can make it more likely that your complaint will be taken seriously.
• Try to stay calm and polite. It will be easier for other people to dismiss your concerns if they feel that you’re being aggressive or unreasonable.