Help please!!

[Pru24]

Long story short, my ds is in a very violent and disruptive class, we have worked closely with his teachers and approached to headmaster on a number of times to make this situation better. After no changes we have found ds a place at a new school but my question is, should i still complain? Even though we are able to remove our son from there, plenty of the other children in that class are still suffering & have been for too long, i want to make a formal complaint because of this but will it actually have any affect? Has anyone been through a complaint procedure at a school and how did they find it?

I used to own horses (until I saw the light) which is like owning toddlers that never grow up, I kept them on livery yards, many when you looked round would say they were about to install floodlights, automatic drinkers, CCTV or God knows what, the vast majority did it, regardless of how little or much you paid, fed it, turned it out or whatever their own way regardless of what you (or you're vet) said or how much you complained. After I while I realised that if it wasn't there when you arrived it wasn't going to be there when you left, people are not going to change their way of doing things for you, and the best thing it just to move on and look at it as experience.
I've found this a useful philosophy on life (so years of horses have taught me something), yes you can complain or leave and complain, or even leave and write a formal complaint to someone in authority but is it going to get you anywhere? Probably not. Frankly life is too short. Move on and concentrate on settling you DS in his new school.

Some really good points there! Not gonna lie, the horses threw me at first but it makes complete sense what your saying. Thank you

It seems like a none choice to me. For the sake of the other children you have to put it in writing and make sure it goes to the Chair of the Governors as well as the Head. Pleased to hear your son has a new school though. I hope he's okay about it all.

I agree with Traalaa. Talk is normally fobbed off expertly and routinely, whilst letters have at least a chance of being taken seriously. Write a constructive, evidence-based letter in the spirit of being helpful, and be very direct about violence being unacceptable, and that this problem remains despite repeated warnings. It should be sent (registered mail) to the Chair with the head and perhaps other governors copied.

In the spirit of Comey, you can even consider whether a "leak" - perhaps to other parents with affected children (who may be encouraged that it is not just their own DC being affected) - is likely to trigger others to complain (or leave).

At the same time you don't want to get too invested / embroiled in the future, so I am in two minds about whether to position this as an official complaint (dragging your DC back into these old problems you will soon escape) or more as a "letter from a leaver". Either way it is a good deed to give honest feedback on an important problem. ("All it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing" etc)

But your expectation should be only to feel better, and perhps for the governors to become a bit more aware; any action or improvement would be a long shot - as the stables analogy illustrated.

And you asked "Has anyone been through a complaint procedure at a school and how did they find it?"

We have made written complaints twice with both being taken seriously and acted on - but expect the Chair to want to meet with you to discuss and not least beg you to not proceed formally "for the sake of the children and so they can avoid any official trace and blemish who would need to be interviewed. So I think starting it can be effective in getting attention, but we did not complete the subsequent formalities.

BTW, I presume it is a state school (as for independent schools there is little point)

Yes it is a state school. I do really feel in my gut, that for the other children involved, these problems should be made aware. The procedure here is to have a meeting with the headmaster & give him a letter as to why your complaining & then within 10 days of that meeting, send all the info to the board. This would involve then a meeting with the board to discuss. Iv been trying for more than a week to obtain this meeting & of course the head is aware of the procedure so they are trying to still me. Any other time iv asked, staff have pulled his timetable up & booked me in but everyday iv had the same answer, ill have to get back to you on that. I dont no how else to go about it but this is such an unfair system when he can avoid this.Thank you for everyones replies.

They are trying to stall me

Yeah he is ok about it bless him, he understands why we want to move him & had often expressed his own concerns about the class, hence the move.