How to complain about school bullying in the UK? 4 steps for parents and international students to protect their rights

More useful is the Equality Act 2010. If the bullying is based on race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability, the nature changes from "classmate conflict" to harassment and discrimination - the school, as a public institution, has a legal obligation to eliminate it.

Ridiculing accents, "go back to China", and eye-rolling gestures are not "kids being kids" but racial harassment. Please use the word racial harassment directly when writing a complaint letter. The school's handling level will be different.

In addition, every school in England must have a behavior policy and complaints procedure, which are published on the official website. Download these two documents first - all your subsequent requests will quote its own terms.

2. The first step to complain about a school: How to write a formal complaint letter

Oral communication can be done first, but must add an email on the same day to retell the conversation : "I called you this afternoon, and you mentioned that you would...do I understand correctly?" This email turned the oral promise into a written record.

Four things that must be included in a formal complaint letter:

📌 Timeline : The specific date, location, and people present of each incident, and the child’s original words should be copied as much as possible, and do not paraphrase “often bullied.”
📌 tried communication : Who did they talk to, what day, what did the other party say.
📌 's specific demands : It's not "please pay attention", but "please respond to the investigation results in writing within 10 working days", "please adjust seats/shifts", "please activate the anti-bullying policy Article X procedure".
📌 Policy Reference : Directly naming the school’s own policy provisions and the Equality Act 2010.

There is another trick that many parents don’t know: submit an Subject Access Request (SAR) in accordance with the UK GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018 to request the school’s child’s files, event records, and related email exchanges. It’s free and schools usually have to respond within one month. The weight of this batch of materials in subsequent appeals is far greater than your emotional statement.

3. If the school does not handle it, how can the complaint be escalated to DfE?

The chain within the school is generally: head teacher → head of year → headteacher → governing body or the complaint review panel (panel) of the academy trust. Use written form for each level and do not skip levels.

If you are still not satisfied after completing the school procedures, both public schools and academies can complain to DfE (Ministry of Education) . But be prepared: the DfE usually does not overturn a school's specific decision, it examines "whether the school has followed its own procedures and statutory requirements." Therefore, 's program flaws can move it more than emotions.

There are three exceptions for making a complaint without waiting for the school procedure to be completed: the child has been harmed, the child has not received the education he or she deserves, or the school is preventing you from using the complaint procedure.

Ofsted does not deal with individual disputes, but if you think there are systemic issues with the school's handling of bullying, you can report it to it and it will be recorded on the school's file. If you are not sure which level to send your letter to and whether the wording is over the line, you can spend £5 at justiscript.com to get a written opinion from a practicing British lawyer within 24 hours, in both Chinese and English.

4. International university students are bullied and harassed: OIA complaints and new E6 regulations

There is a contractual relationship between the university and the students, and the paths are different: first go through the school's complaints or student conduct procedures, and then request a Completion of Procedures letter, and then file a complaint with the OIA (Office of the Independent Adjudicator) within 12 months from the date of receipt of the letter. It is free for students. The OIA is conducting a comprehensive review of the mechanism in 2026, but the fee and independence remain unchanged.

From August 1, 2025, OfS's registration conditions E6 have come into effect: registered universities in England must provide a centralized and clear anti-harassment and sexual misconduct information and reporting portal, covering students to students, staff to students, and online behavior. If you can't find the reporting channel on the school's official website, you can directly quote E6 and ask the school to provide it.

⚠️ An easily overlooked point: long-term leave, suspension or suspension will trigger the school to report to Home Office, which may affect the length of the Student visa. Before taking this step, ask the international student office to confirm the consequences in writing.

5. Under no circumstances should you rely solely on the school and call the police directly.

Bullying crosses these lines and becomes a criminal matter: physical assault (assault), taking or damaging property, persistent stalking (Protection from Harassment Act 1997), and words and actions based on race, religion, sexual orientation or disability - the latter is a hate crime or hate incident.

For non-emergency calls, call 101, for emergencies, call 999. You can also report online through the police-supported True Vision platform, which supports anonymity. Even if it does not end up being a crime, the police will still register it as a hate incident—This record will immediately change the school's attitude.

One final word of truth: The longer something like this goes on, the harder it is to overturn it, because the evidence will disappear and the memory will become blurred. Open a folder today and save dates and emails in it. It will be more effective than anything else.