This article is based on the Department for Education's complaints guidance for maintained schools and academies.
Identify a serial or persistent complaint
Most complaints raised will be valid, and should be treated seriously. However, a complaint may become unreasonable if the:
- Person has made the same complaint before, and it’s already been resolved by following the school’s complaints policy
- Complaint is obsessive, persistent, harassing, prolific, or repetitive
- Person insists on pursuing an unfounded complaint, beyond all reason
- Person pursues unrealistic outcomes, beyond all reason
- Person pursues a valid complaint, but in an unreasonable manner
- Complaint is designed to cause disruption or annoyance
- Person demands a solution that lacks any serious purpose or value
You should only categorise the complaint itself as being persistent or unreasonable, not the person making it. They may make valid complaints in the future, which you’ll need to treat fairly.
Your headteacher might decide to resolve complaints informally first,