Guidance on school complaints.
All complaints about a school or academy must go through the school or academy complaints procedure as set out in Section 29, Part 1 of the Education Act 2002.
The schools process for looking into complaints should be a clear pathway to investigate and escalate if required. The complaints procedure should be available on the school website, advertised in reception and where parents can be made aware of the process.
Further information on school complaints can be found on the Derbyshire County Council website.
Making a complaint
If you are a parent who wishes to complain about any aspect of the school and regarding your child, you should first attempt to resolve directly with the relevant leads in the school. If you are dissatisfied with the informal discussion, you must then use the schools complaints procedure.
If you are a designated safeguarding lead or headteacher you should aim to resolve the complaint informally in the first instance.
Guidance from OFSTED on school complaints
Before contacting Ofsted with regard to a complaint against a school you should first follow the school's complaints procedure.
If you have been advised to complain directly to Ofsted, they will need to know why the schools complaint’s process has not been followed. Ofsted may still advise you to contact the school or governing body first with your concerns.
Ofsted has limited legal powers to consider complaints about schools.
Please read guidance on how to complain about a school to see what complaints Ofsted can deal with.
School complaints procedures: Best practice guidance for schools from the DfE
The Department for Education (DfE) has published best practice guidance for school complaints procedures 2019. The guidance outlines procedures for dealing with complaints and includes a model complaints procedure for governing bodies to tailor to their school.