Advice please re: complaint at private school

[lala21]

If you wish to highlight a massive gross negligence at an independent school after incident involving your child apart from having a meeting with the head, where do we take it further?

Is it the governors, or the local authority.

We have withdrawn him immediately. I can't say too much sorry any advise would be helpful.

Maybe OFSTED? Private schools are still subject to that.

Police? Depending on whether what happened was criminal?

or governors if just a bit more serious than seeing head, but governors likely to back the head up

You need to follow what is in the grievance procedure; it's probably the Governors.

The local authority has no locus in this whatsoever.

If it concerns EYFS, boarding provision or the school has opted to be inspected by OFSTED, then you could try them too.

Depending on the type of school, you could try membership organisation, for example prep schools have IAPS. Your independent school is almost certainly a member of ISI www.isi.net/home/ and ISA www.isaschools.org.uk/
I would strongly recommend prior to contacting ISA and ISI, to inform the school's board of governors first.

Or at a minimum cc the letter of complaint to the board of governors.

Thank you:

Oh I was saying a thank you when Flying start replied.
thank you

Definitely contact the Board of Governors. You should also make sure that you have written to the Head about the problem so that it is officially on file, and your views are absolutely clear if there is a grievance panel later.

School should have a copy of its grievance policy on its website, second the routes suggested by Flying Start and IndridCold.

The school should have a complaints procedure on their website, as per ISI.

The independent schools inspectorate is not an independent organisation it is inspector of independent schools. I and three others raised a serious issue re: old prep and they ignored us. I would start of by contacting the school governors and copying the letter to your solicitor clearly stating your concern and also stating when you wish for a considered response. If it is a safe guarding issue then you should and must inform your local children?s social services they have a legal duty to investigate.

Sounds horrible.

Yes, social services if a safeguarding issue.

They are a law above the law! One would of thought that after being fee paying parents we’d be treated differently. We forget that they’re a business at the end of the day too it’s appalling

From bitter experience, get a lawyers letter to the governors asap. Unless you want to pay a term's fees for withdrawing without notice, they need to know that you are not their piggy bank. Set out in letter what happened and include copies of any communication with the school about the incident. We were way too nice in a similar situation (and discovered that similar things had happened to other DCs but DPs payed up for a quiet life) and only resorted to this when it became clear that the relevant member of staff had lied. When presented with communication about the issue from that member of staff, the governors were very quick to apologise to avoid being sued.

Very Zombie thread! Hopefully the OP has resolved it by now.

Your situation and what you’ve just said MIRRORS what we’ve gone through as a family. I feel sick to my stomach as a father. We’ve not only spent on new uniforms and kits for the new term for two of my boys but paid a Terms fees and a further 5k on legals and now a local MP, NOTHING has happened and all they’ve done is lie and misrepresent facts. I can’t believe how evil they are but ultimately I feel sorry for the kids, I’m not sure what we pay for when we put our kids in private education! Above all they’ve not an ounce of sympathy or compassion but constant dodging letters and calls! Their own lawyer was on our side and got the boot the next day for siding with us....what more can I say. They’ve a serious case of bullying and a high turnover of staff