The INTO and Primary School Management first reached agreement in 1993 on a procedure for dealing with complaints by parents against teachers. The purpose of the procedure was to facilitate the resolution of difficulties where they may arise in an agreed and fair manner.
Since then, the INTO has engaged with members and offered support, advice, and where required at the later stages, representation to members when dealing with complaints made by parents.
An agreed parental complaints provides parents and teachers with a structured and agreed format with which to seek resolution to grievances and complaints which can arise, from time to time, in schools. Based on the principles of fair procedures, the intention at each stage of the procedure is to provide a format for both parties to explore a resolution at the earliest opportunity.
In 2022/23, the INTO engaged extensively with the primary management bodies on revising the existing nationally agreed parental complaints procedure. The parties to this agreement are the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA), the General Synod Board of Education of the Church of Ireland, Educate Together, An Fóras Pátrúnachta, Muslim Primary Education Board, and the National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education (NAMBSE). The revised procedure, available to download below, came into effect on January 1st 2024.
Parental Complaints Procedure – Download English version
Parental Complaints Procedure – Download Irish version
The revised parental complaints procedure agreed by the INTO and the management bodies of primary schools is designed to provide an open and clearly defined process to facilitate parents/legal guardians in raising concerns about their own child/children in an agreed, fair and transparent manner, with a view to seeking an early resolution of the issue.
Note: The vast majority of complaints are resolved locally and informally. However, in certain circumstances, for example, where a complaint is considered to be serious in nature, or where the teacher is required to submit a written response to their board of management, the teacher should contact INTO Head Office for advice and assistance. In advising a teacher, the INTO will be anxious to ensure that there is due process and fair procedures applied, which generally include:
- that the teacher is fully appraised of all matters being considered by the board of management, including being provided with copies of all relevant documentation;
- the right to respond and adequate time to prepare a response;
- entitlement to be represented by the INTO, if necessary at the later stages.
Note: If you are working in a community national school under the patronage of the ETBI, there is a separate procedure agreed between INTO and ETBI in 2018 which can be accessed here.
