Complaints to academy schools

What is the complaints procedure for a complaint against an academy school?

The Department for Education has non-statutory guidance available on procedures for dealing with complaints about academies. This guide provides advice for parent and carers who wish to raise concerns about an academy’s handling of complaints, including complaints about exclusions. It sets out the responsibilities of academies and the role of Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) in handling complaints.

Each academy or academy trust has a contract – ‘the funding agreement’ – directly with the Secretary of State for Education. Funding agreements provide the framework for academies and free schools to operate in. Although there are model agreements, each academy has negotiated their own funding agreement with the Secretary of State. This means that funding agreements differ and it is important to remember this when there is a concern/complaint that needs to be resolved.

Complaint against an academy school 

Request a copy of the school’s complaints policy and other relevant policies and take note of what this policy says about the school's complaints process.

Write a letter to the school requesting a copy of your child’s education records. Unfortunately, academies are different from maintained schools in that there is no equivalent legal right to access your child’s educational record. It will be up to the school to decide whether to grant such access, and it is likely to depend on the contractual relationship between the parent and the school. However, academies do have to provide certain information to parents in accordance with Part 6 of the Independent School Standards. This includes an annual written report of each registered pupil’s progress and attainment in the main subject areas taught. They may also have duties to provide the information under the General Data Protection Regulations.

Write your complaint letter (see our 'How to Guide' on 'Complaints to Schools' for further information and sample letter) and submit this in line with the process set out in the school’s complaints policy.

If you are unhappy with the response of the school’s governing body, you can submit a complaint to the ESFA; the ESFA can only investigate if there is a problem with the school’s complaints procedure or if the school is not following the terms of its funding agreement.
You can request a copy of the funding agreement from the school and check to see whether the school have complied with this agreement.

How do I make a complaint to the academy?

You should first complain to the academy itself. The school's complaints policy must be in writing, available to parents and set out clear timescales for how complaints will be handled. 

If you are a parent of a pupil at the academy, the complaints procedure must comply with The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014, Schedule 1, Part 7. The complaints process should have 3 stages:

1. Informal Stage - usually an informal meeting between complainant and staff.

2. Formal Stage - complaint is submitted in writing to the school.

3. A Panel Hearing - If the matter proceeds to a Panel Hearing, the school must allow the complainant to attend that hearing (and be accompanied if they wish) and have at least one independent panel member (independent of the management and running of the academy). 

If the complaint is from someone other than a pupil's parent, the academy can handle this complaint differently to above.

What if I am unhappy with the academy's response to my complaint?

If you are dissatisfied with the academies response, you should then address your complaint to the ESFA. The ESFA will not usually investigate complaints more than 12 months after the decision or action was taken.

Matters which the ESFA will investigate:

• Undue delay on non-compliance with published complaints procedures;
• Allegations that the academy has acted unlawfully or failed to comply with a contractual duty imposed on it under its Funding Agreement with the Secretary of State or any other legal obligation.

Matters which the ESFA will not investigate:

• Examination results or curriculum content, where a more appropriate form of redress would be the examining body or Ofqual;
• Statements of special educational needs, where there is an appeal to the First-Tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs & Disability);
• Matters that are subject of legal action;
• Criminal matters - this should be referred to the police;
• Safeguarding and child protection matters - refer this to the academy's Local Safeguarding Board;
• Discrimination - raise with the Equality Advisory Support Service;
• Data protection issues - direct this to the Information Commissioner's Office.

What are the possible outcomes from a complaint to the ESFA?

If the ESFA finds that the academy has not dealt with a complaint properly, they will not overturn the academy's decision but will ask it to reconsider and ensure that the decision complies with the relevant Regulations. 

Such actions may include asking the academy to review:

• its procedures, to ensure non-recurrence;
• its decision in the individual case.

If the academy does not comply, the Secretary of State may, if appropriate, seek to enforce the terms of the Funding Agreement through the courts.

When can I complain to the Secretary of State?

Before you can complain to the Secretary of State, you must have exhausted all of the above complaints procedures.

The Secretary of State will consider the following types of complaint:

• failure of a school and/or local authority to address bullying;
• failure of a school and/or local authority to safeguard and promote a pupil's welfare in accordance with section 175 Education Act 2002;

To start the procedure you will need to write a letter detailing your complaint with all relevant documentation to the Department for Education.

The following are grounds of complaints to the Secretary of State:

• A complaint can be made that the school or local authority has failed to make adequate arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of a child under Section 175 Education Act 2002;
• A complaint can be made against the local authority or Governing Body of any maintained school that has acted unreasonably with respect to the exercise of any power or the performance of any duty imposed by the Education Act 1996 (Section 496 Education Act 1996).
• A complaint can be made against the LA or Governing Body of any maintained school if it has failed to discharge any duty imposed on them by or for the purposes of the Education Act 1996 (Section 497 Education Act 1996)
• A complaint can be made against a LA that has failed to perform to an adequate standard and function conferred on it in its capacity as a LA (Section 497 Education Act 1996).

It is worth nothing that the Secretary of State can take 6 months to respond to letters of complaint and very rarely finds it necessary to become involved. 

The Secretary of State can make directions as they consider appropriate to ensure that the Governing Body or local authority exercises its duties, functions and powers as it should.