This is the first in our “Cause for Complaint” series, where we speak with experts about school complaints management, exploring the challenges, trends, and practical solutions that can help schools and families work together more effectively.
School complaints have always been part of education, but something has shifted. The volume is rising, the tone is sharper, and schools are feeling the strain. To understand what’s driving this change and how schools can respond, we spoke with James Harris, founder of Finding Common Ground and a former headteacher with over 30 years’ experience in education.
James brings a unique perspective: he’s not only led schools through challenging complaints but is also an adoptive father whose sons struggled in secondary education. He’s sat on both sides of the table and now dedicates his work to helping parents and schools find that elusive common ground.
From Headship to Mediation
What struck you most about complaints during your time as a headteacher?
“How often parents arrived angry,” James reflects. “Especially in disadvantaged communities where expectations and understanding of education can be low. It sometimes took longer to calm people down with a coffee than to solve the underlying issue.”
That experience led James to establish Finding Common Ground, a free advice service for parents and carers. The aim? Give parents agency. Help them understand their options, what’s actually possible within a school’s constraints, and what staff are genuinely trying to achieve.
“I believe strongly that collaboration between caring adults - parents and school staff - is the way forward,” he explains. “If parents feel empowered with knowledge, it reduces stress on schools too.”
The Changing Complaints Landscape
So what’s changed in recent years?
“We were seeing a shift even before the pandemic, and it’s escalated since,” James says. The changes fall into two clear categories:
1. The Rise of Vexatious Complaints
“The ‘I don’t like the detention’ or ‘I don’t like the tie rule’ type complaints. That’s a wider societal issue - people are quicker to escalate and less deferential to institutions.”
This cultural shift isn’t necessarily all bad, James notes. Questioning authority can drive improvement. But it needs to be channelled constructively, not directed at issues that fall within a school’s legitimate authority.
2. SEND System Strain
“Families who feel their child’s needs aren’t being met often turn to complaints - sometimes very validly, sometimes about things a school simply can’t change.”
The SEND point is critical: reasonable adjustments not being made, delays with EHCPs, provision specified but not delivered. These generate many complaints, and often for entirely legitimate reasons.
“We need to educate parents on using the process appropriately,” James emphasises, “and clarify what schools can and can’t do within the system’s constraints.”
Why Secondary Schools Face More Complaints
The data consistently shows secondary schools receive more complaints than primaries. James explains why:
“It’s harder for parents to communicate. A child has 11 or 12 different teachers, and you can’t just grab the French teacher at pick-up like you might in primary. Frustration builds quickly when parents can’t get answers.”
There’s also variation between individual schools and trusts. “Some set themselves up - often unintentionally - in ways that attract more complaints, for instance by making communication difficult.”
Interestingly, complaint rates also correlate with parental confidence in using formal systems. “You’ll see higher complaint rates where parents are more educated or professional - not because there are more problems, but because they’re more comfortable escalating. That doesn’t mean others don’t have equally valid grounds to complain.”
What Makes Complaints Go Well?
When a complaint does arrive, what helps it be resolved constructively?
James’s answer is immediate: “Relationships. Pre-emptively building strong relationships with families is everything.”
Building Trust Before Things Go Wrong
“In a large secondary you can’t know every parent, but someone needs to be a recognisable, responsive point of contact - especially for your most vulnerable families - so that when things go wrong, there’s already trust.”
Communication That Doesn’t Escalate
“Think carefully about how messages land: the tone, clarity, and timing. Don’t send legalistic letters at 4 p.m. on a Friday and ruin a weekend.”
Proper Staff Training
“Train staff in handling parents - teacher training doesn’t cover this.” Too many teachers and leaders are thrust into difficult conversations without preparation.
Responding Well
“When a complaint arrives, respond swiftly, avoid defensiveness, investigate properly, and aim to resolve at Stage 1 if possible.”
Realistic Expectations
“Educate parents on what’s actually possible in a school - particularly around SEND. Some expectations are unrealistic because the system has constraints. If parents understand those, issues are less likely to escalate.”
Advice for Parents: Making Complaints More Constructive
James also has clear guidance for parents who need to raise concerns:
Be Precise and Factual
“Complain about something verifiably true so the school can say, ‘Yes, hands up, we’ll fix it.’ Avoid vague claims like ‘You’re not meeting need,’ which become debates over definitions.”
Use Concrete Examples
“If a plan says a pupil must sit at the front and, despite requests, they’re consistently put at the back, that’s a factual breach to raise. Likewise, if an EHCP specifies provision that isn’t being delivered, that’s grounds for complaint.”
Assume Good Intent
“Assume the goal is not to ‘win’ but to prompt the school to do what it’s required to do. Most teachers are trying hard with limited resources.”
Don’t Rely Solely on Child Accounts
“Schools won’t usually set staff accounts against pupil accounts unless it’s a safeguarding issue. Get the full picture first.”
The Process Problem
A significant issue? Most parents don’t actually understand the complaints process.
“It’s on every school website, but few parents read policies,” James observes. “They’ll fire off multiple emails or turn up at reception demanding to be seen, which stresses staff and doesn’t help.”
The solution is proactive communication: “Schools should explain upfront: ‘If you’re unhappy, here’s the process, here’s who to contact, and here’s what we can actually do.’ That clarity reduces noise and channels concerns productively.”
Beyond Process: Culture and Inclusion
If you could change one thing about how schools handle complaints, what would it be?
James’s answer challenges the usual focus on procedures and stages: “I’d focus less on tinkering with the process and more on communication and inclusion. Complaints are often a symptom of deeper issues in relationships and culture.”
His vision is clear:
“Build an inclusive school culture, treat parents as partners - one of a school’s greatest assets alongside staff and students - and much of the heat dissipates. You’ll still make mistakes, and there will still be complaints, but they’ll arrive in a more rational, resolvable way.”
Key Takeaways
From James’s three decades of experience, several principles emerge:
- Relationships come first - Build trust before problems arise
- Communication matters - How you say things affects whether they escalate
- Train your staff - Handling parents isn’t intuitive; it needs teaching
- Educate parents - About processes, constraints, and what’s genuinely possible
- Be factual, not defensive - When things go wrong, acknowledge it and fix it
- See parents as partners - Not problems to be managed
- Culture trumps process - Get the relationships right and complaints become opportunities for improvement
Conclusion
James Harris’s message is ultimately hopeful. Yes, complaints are rising. Yes, the pressures are real. But the solution isn’t better complaint forms or stricter timelines - it’s better relationships.
“I actually like the complaints process because it’s rational and has a clear structure,” James admits. “When a school has done something wrong, it causes sleepless nights - but it also creates the opportunity to put it right and learn from it.”
That’s the shift schools need to make: from seeing complaints as attacks to defend against, to seeing them as uncomfortable but valuable feedback from partners who care about the same children you do.
Finding Common Ground provides free advice to parents and carers navigating education challenges. If you’re a parent needing support, or a school looking to build better partnerships, you can find James Harris through Finding Common Ground.
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