Education

We cannot look at complaints about schools, further education institutions or universities. We can look at the government departments responsible for education, but this is often limited to how they handle complaints.

A school

You should complain to the school first. If you are unhappy with their response and the school is publicly funded, you can raise your complaint with the Department for Education. If the school is privately funded, you can complain to the Independent Schools Inspectorate.

A further education college

You should first complain to the college and complete their complaints procedure. If you are still unhappy, you can complain to the Skills Funding Agency about how your complaint was handled.

A university

You should complain to the university first through their complaints procedure.

If you are are unhappy with their response the next steps differ depending on where the university is based.

If the university is based in England or Wales:

• If you are a current or former student, you can raise your concerns with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.
• If you are a member of the public, the university should be able to advise you of the appropriate organisation to make your complaint to.

If the university is based in Scotland, you can raise your concerns with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.

If you are still not sure if we can look into your complaint, please ring us on 0345 015 4033 to discuss your case.