Students must complain about educational failings
All around the UK, parents are fussing around their kids as the new school year starts. Those with older teens are loading bags into the car and heading to university and higher education colleges.
This is a stressful time for families – and it’s natural to worry about how your children will cope. So to take the sting out of the new term, I’ve put together a guide on how to make a complaint if something goes wrong with schools, higher education, accommodation or loans.
Schools and academies
Keep things polite and follow the school’s formal complaints process – all schools must have one – and ask them for the details if it’s not published on a website.
Complaints are usually straight– forward. Write to the governing body and/or the head. Make sure you explain simply what it is you’re unhappy with and what you’d like done. If you think the school is not following its own published rules and procedures include examples.
If you take it further, the rules are different depending on whether you live in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales. You can find the information on the Government website gov.uk/complain-aboutschool
The school might suggest mediation – which is good for many situations. Make sure you take notes at the meeting though. If that doesn’t work the Department for Education (DfE) may be able to look at your complaint.
If your child is at private school, you can also go through the school’s complaints procedure, but you can’t go to the DfE if you’re unhappy – and you can’t complain if your child isn’t at the school.
University and higher education
I’ve been flooded by questions from students and parents about refunds on university fees for services not being provided. The pandemic has created a situation where for the first time, this is a viable area of complaint – though it’s too early in the day to say how these cases will be settled.
In a similar way to complaints about schools, you have to go through the higher education or university complaints procedure first. Set out what it is you’re unhappy with and how you feel the organisation has not met its obligations. It’s the student or former student (not the parent) who must make the complaint. Most importantly, be clear about what it is you want to resolve the problem.
If that doesn’t work, you’ll need a Completion of Procedures Letter which the organisation will issue at the end of complaints or appeals process. You can then potentially go to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator. They have loads of great advice and tips on their website oiahe.org.uk/
Student loan complaints
Student loan complaints are a little different as you could be making a complaint many years after you finished your education.
But the process has been streamlined in recent years, so it’s a bit easier to do now. Contact the Student Loan company first. You need to include quite a bit of info with your complaint, so make sure you read all the advice on their website before sending. Once again, there is an appeals process for free if you’re not happy. gov.uk/government/organisations/ student-loans-company/about/ complaints-procedure
Student housing
Student housing can sometimes seem expensive, given the size of the rooms – and some of the reports over the last year in the media about quarantined students and rubbish facilities have left many concerned.
The good news is accommodation providers have to be licensed with the local authority or be signed up to the Government code which is supposed to ensure standards. If you want to complain, then find out where you need to go through your Uni, or check out the code nationalcode.org
Resolver can help with all things education for free at resolver.co.uk