Complaints: how to investigate and respond
Learn how to investigate formal and informal complaints, including how to de-escalate and achieve early resolution.
Who it's for
Headteachers and senior leaders in all schools
This course covers the complaints procedures for both maintained schools and academies.
You can access this course on any device including mobile phones, but for the best user experience, we recommend using a laptop or desktop computer.
This course for senior leaders on investigating complaints covers:
- How to handle informal complaints, including how to use de-escalation strategies and early resolution
- How to judge when to stop a meeting with a complainant and seek legal support, and know what to do if a complainant's behaviour is extreme
- How to handle formal complaints confidently, and understand how to carry out a thorough and robust investigation
- How to manage persistent and aggressive complaints with confidence
We'd love to hear your feedback
If you've completed this course, we'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Our feedback form takes about 3 to 5 minutes to complete.
Sources
- Best practice guidance for school complaints procedures 2020, DfE
- Best practice guidance for academies complaints procedures, DfE
With thanks to the following expert for their help with this course:
Shannon Sullivan is an experienced executive headteacher across a federation of primary schools in Norfolk. Shannon has also supported schools as a school improvement partner and through her associate consultant role with PiXL, an association focused on school improvement.
Additional resources
Training to meet your statutory requirements
Complaints procedure: model and examples
Adapt our model complaints procedure to your school's context, and use our checklists to make sure you stay compliant.
Carrying out the complaints procedure safely: aggressive or threatening behaviour
If you’ve had to stop a complaints investigation due to aggressive behaviour from parents/carers, you still need to carry out the process set out in your policy. Find out how to proceed fairly and safely for all involved.