Rights of parents.

Focus point - rights of parents.

Parents have various rights at school. They have the right to get information about their child’s progress at school and the right to see the student file. A parent can also expect schools to follow the law and their own school policy. Every parent can make a complaint when the school does not meet its obligations. Every school has a complaints procedure. If schools do not obey the law or the safety at school is at risk, parents can report this to the education inspectorate. Finally, they can bring disputes to the disputes committee.

On paper, the rights of parents are well arranged. But in practice, we see that the legal position of parents is weak. Most parents are very hesitant to make complaints against the school. They often do not know enough about the law, and they are afraid a complaint will bring bad results for their child. If parents choose to make a formal complaint or bring a dispute to the disputes committee, they often need legal support. Not all parents can pay for this support, and it is hard to get help for education issues free of charge.

Complaints procedures

We think the complaints procedures and dispute processes are made too much for parents who are rational, financially strong, and legally skilled. In reality, parents who have conflicts with the school are often emotional. Many parents cannot pay for help and do not have enough legal knowledge to do it themselves. School governing bodies can have lawyers because they can pay them from the school budget. It is too difficult for parents to get their rights.

If you have questions about your rights or how to make a complaint, visit our topic page or contact us.

Our positions: 

• Make it easier for parents to get legal advice and help parents to get support when they have conflicts with the school governing body.
• Make the complaints procedures easier for parents to use.
• Give the education inspectorate wide powers to inspect schools based on signals from parents and act when needed.