Raising a concern about a school or your child’s
education.
Schools are required under the Education Act 2002 to have a
procedure for dealing with complaints relating to the school. At
present all schools in Suffolk have adopted the county council's
model procedure.
The purpose of the procedure is to resolve complaints brought
against Suffolk schools. The procedure explains how to make a
complaint and what to expect from the school in response. It also
tells complainants what they can do if they are unable to settle
the complaint with the school.
In practice, the procedure is as follows:
- the person making the complaint should contact the school to
lodge their complaint;
- a member of school staff will meet or speak with the person
making the complaint. They will undertake an investigation into the
complaint and to try to reach a resolution
If the school fails to resolve the complaint:
- an officer from the local Area Education Office will then
ask the complainant what outcome they are seeking and then decide
on the level of investigation;
- for most complaints, the officer will check that a
thorough investigation has been fairly undertaken by the school and
that the school has responded appropriately, although there may be
some instances where it is appropriate for the county council
to conduct a further investigation, including interviewing the
complainant and witnesses;
- the complainant can write to the Local Area Education Office
Authority;
- the complainant will receive a written response from
the council , usually within 15 school days.
If the complainant remains dissatisfied, they can ask that a
committee of the school's governing body formally consider their
complaint.