The first step for complaints about nurseries, schools and colleges will usually be to the setting itself. This applies types of setting, including maintained schools, academies and independent schools. An exception would be if, for example, you feel that your complaint will not be given a fair consideration due to conflicts of interest.

If the school is a public body (like a maintained school or an academy) and the issue is serious and so urgent that it is not appropriate to complain and follow any of the below possible next steps you may need to consider judicial review instead. For example, because the other options would take too long to resolve the issue.

Depending on the circumstances, information on disability discrimination may also be relevant.

To complain, the first step is to follow the setting's own complaints procedure. Schools must by law have a procedure for parents to complain.

There is brief guidance on complaining about a school on the Department for Education’s (DfE’s) website. There is also guidance for maintained nurseries and schools on best practice for complaints procedures, which sets out what the DfE expects schools to do in the event of a complaint.  

Next steps

If you complain and are not happy with the outcome, the next steps depend on the type of complaint you are making.

Complaining about a maintained school or maintained nursery school

If you are complaining about a maintained school or maintained nursery school, it may be appropriate to complain to the local authority (LA).

Not all LAs will look into school complaints, particularly if they feel they can be addressed within the internal school management system. Check your local policy before complaining to the LA.

If your complaint concerns bullying issues that a school is failing to deal with, LAs have a specific power to intervene, under section 62 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, where the behaviour of certain pupils is severely prejudicing the education of other pupils. Therefore, it may help to raise this with your LA. You can read more about duties about children’s welfare on the Child Law Advice website.

If that doesn’t resolve things, or you have followed all the steps in the school or nursery school’s complaints procedure, the possible next step will be to complain to the Department for Education (DfE).

You may be able to complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) if your complaint is about: 

• the processes followed by an independent review panel following an exclusion from a maintained school, or
• the processes followed by an admissions appeals panel if you applied for a maintained school.

If the school was a maintained school and recently converted to be an academy the LGSCO may be able to investigate a complaint on these issues too. Check with the LGSCO directly if you’re not sure whether this applies in your case.

Complaining about other schools or further education settings

If you are complaining about any other type of school (including an academy) or further education institution, you could escalate your complaint to the Department for Education (DfE). 

Complaining about an early years setting

If you want to complain about a nursery or early years’ setting, unless it is a maintained nursery school, this is not dealt with by the DfE. You can complain to Ofsted. 

Complaining about information or data protection

If your complaint is about data protection, or a nursery, school, or college’s failure to provide you with information you are entitled to, you should complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.