Parental engagement tips: how to handle and reduce parent complaints

The volume and complexity of parent complaints have been on the rise for the past couple of years with two thirds of school leaders noticing an increase in the 2023/24 academic year. This increase has taken a significant toll on schools and already stretched resources and staff.  

In fact, 90% of leaders believe that complaints-handling is severely impacting staff wellbeing, whilst 53% believe that the process has negatively impacted the quality of education being delivered and 47% have seen an impact on staff retention. 

So, what can be done to better manage parent complaints? 

Why parental engagement is crucial for managing complaints 

Parental engagement and regular, proactive communication are essential for keeping parents in the loop and addressing any potential concerns before they happen. It’s better to be open, honest and forthcoming about both positive and negative communications to mitigate the risk of parents complaining after the fact. 

Often, knowing what and why something is happening can make all the difference in parent perceptions. Being more proactive with communications such as personal updates, newsletters and parent-teacher events can: 

• Build trust 

• Gain a shared understanding of policies, procedures, curriculum and more - thus reducing misunderstandings 

• Empower parents to better support their child’s education 

How to handle and reduce parent complaints  

From minor complaints to crisis communications, schools need to have a plan and process in place to minimise the impact.  

How to reduce and prevent parent complaints 

With large numbers of schools reporting a rise in complaints, taking a proactive approach to complaints management is advised. This means having an open mind and creating a strategy that involves a genuine, fresh and holistic review of their legal requirements around complaints procedures. 

Complaints audit 

Start by conducting a complaints audit to identify common themes and recurring issues. Actions can then be determined and included in the policy. This might include a review of internal processes, staff training and improved communication practices.  

Communication and de-escalation strategies 

A proactive complaints procedure should place an emphasis on communication to help build trust and healthy relationships with parents. This can reduce the risk of informal complaints escalating into more serious concerns.  

Training and development 

Consider giving staff training on proper communication with parents, giving them the skills needed to deal with unhappy parents and stopping complaints in their tracks.  

Helping staff to understand what is underpinning complaints is also crucial for this – it's important that they understand the difference between unhappy parents with minor complaints and those that wish to raise serious concerns that might have a negative impact on the school. 

Staff should understand their options in these cases, which may be to seek support from senior colleagues, delegate an investigation or explain to complainants their need for more time. 

Utilisation of technology 

Make the most of the communication tools available to you. A range of tools are available enhance communication with parents, helping to keep them informed of behaviour, school activities and policy updates in a quick and efficient manner.  

How to respond to a parent complaint 

Sometimes schools get things wrong – whether that’s human error, inexperience, technical issues or a result of being overworked – and such mistakes can come with complaints from parents. It’s an inevitable process in any school, however it’s important to be prepared with a clear and fair process for handling complaints. 

Tips for handling parent complaints: 

1. Open and honest communication will often resolve minor, informal complaints that have arisen from miscommunication. Talking through the complaint with the parent may prevent them from escalating the issue. 

1. For more serious or formal complaints, take time to explain the complaints process to parents and what they can expect to happen.  

1. Be sure to clarify the desired outcome of the complaint. Is the parent simply complaining, or do they hope to achieve something?  

1. When conducting any investigation into a complaint, keep the parent informed about the progress and any findings. 

1. Be transparent and take ownership of mistakes where relevant. If appropriate, apologise sincerely or express regret of actions and explain the outcome of the investigation, being sure to relay actions and next steps. 

How to handle crisis communications 

In the event of a complaint escalating to crisis-levels, schools need to be prepared with a comprehensive plan that includes proactive measures, a designated spokesperson, and clear communication channels – both internal and external.  

The plan needs to address any potential crises, such as security threats, health emergencies, and reputation challenges, and outline how the school will respond to and recover from these threats. 

Get your free parent engagement toolkit 

With a rise in parent complaints, parent engagement has never been more important. Get access to your free toolkit to help improve parent engagement in your school and reduce overall complaints. Featuring email templates, posters, CPD, how-to's and more, our free toolkit offers the help and support you need to better manage parent engagement. 

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