Complaints about schools or academies

Complaints about schools or academies
Complaints to Ofsted about Schools

Complaints to Ofsted about Schools

Before contacting Ofsted with regard to a complaint against a school you should first follow the school's complaints procedure.

If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of the school’s complaints procedure, you can contact Ofsted.

How to complain

Please read guidance on how to complain about a school to see what complaints Ofsted can deal with.

You can complain about a school to Ofsted by email, telephone, or an online form.

Complaint timeline

School days	Ofsted complaint process
1 to 5 days	complaint submitted to Ofsted Ofsted alerts the council
5 to 20 days	School Effectiveness team and Safeguarding in Education team contact Headteacher details of the case are established in partnership with the school
21 days	the council produces a report which is shared with the school report is submitted to Ofsted

Investigation

When Ofsted receives a complaint, they will contact the council and ask them to investigate the situation. At North Northants council, the School Effectiveness and Safeguarding in Education teams usually handle this. We will contact the Headteacher to establish the facts of the complaint and verify if it has gone through the school process. We support school leadership in resolving the situation and make recommendations.

We may contact you to gather further information and support you through the process.

Reporting and recommendations

We will write a short report and, where relevant, share recommendations and key strategies to improve best practice. We will share the report with the Headteacher and return it to Ofsted, usually within the 21 school days deadline.

Last updated 17 June 2024

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