Parental support complaints procedure

If you feel that the school at which your son or daughter is a pupil has acted improperly or unfairly you are entitled to complain. Schools have their own complaints procedures, and will provide you with a copy.

In most schools, you will need to raise concerns with the class teacher first, followed by the head teacher if you are dissatisfied with the response. 

If you are still dissatisfied, you are entitled to ask for the complaint to be investigated by the school's governing body.
If you believe that the school's governing body has not acted properly in carrying out its investigation into your complaint you have a right to complain to the Local Authority (LA).

The LA does not have the power to instruct a governing body to reverse its decision but will want to satisfy itself that the governing body has conducted the investigation fairly.

In the unlikely event that you will need to complain to the LA about the governing body’s handling of a complaint please write to:

Group Director: Children
Civic Offices
Euclid Street
Swindon
SN1 2JH

Please note that the LA can only act when each step of the school’s complaints procedure has been followed.

The guidance outlined here does not cover complaints about the following topics:

• School curriculum
• Admissions to school
• Assessment of a pupil’s special educational needs
• Exclusion of pupils from school. 

There are specific complaints procedures in place for these areas.

Further Information

If you think you have been treated unfairly you may ask the Local Government Ombudsman to investigate.