Complaints about schools

If parents have a complaint about a school, they should first raise it with the class teacher or headteacher. If parents are not satisfied with the headteacher’s response, or if the complaint is about the headteacher, then they should ask for the complaint to be considered by the school governing body.

For complaints against the curriculum and related matters there is a formal procedure, details of which are available from the school.

The Education Department has only limited powers to intervene in complaints about schools. Normally the Education Department would only become involved with very serious complaints such as allegations of general breakdown of discipline or a school not delivering the National Curriculum.