An editable Word pack for headteachers and senior leaders who need to answer a parent complaint calmly, quickly and in line with their own published procedure.
It has five letters you can adapt: a holding reply to an out-of-hours email, an acknowledgement of a formal complaint, a stage 1 outcome letter, a letter setting communication arrangements (a single point of contact or a set number of contacts per term), and a letter closing correspondence once the procedure is complete. There are also phone and meeting scripts, including what to say when you can't agree and how to end a meeting that has become abusive, and a short check to run before anything is sent.
It was written against the DfE's best practice guidance for maintained schools and academies, Part 7 of the Independent School Standards, KCSIE 2026 and Ofsted's school inspection operating guide for use from September 2026. The references are listed at the end of the document, and were checked on 30 September 2026.
Editable Microsoft Word document. General guidance for schools in England, not legal advice.
