You may turn to the Child and School Student Representative and the Swedish Schools Inspectorate if you have been subjected to degrading treatment and have not received help from your school. It may be, for example, that someone at school hits you every day. Or maybe you have a daughter who is teased without the staff doing anything about it. Here is what happens if you make a complaint to us, as well as some things you should bear in mind before you do so.
Speak with the school first
Things you can make a complaint about
To bear in mind before you make a complaint
Would you like to remain anonymous?
Making a complaint
When you have made a complaint
What a complaint may lead to
Speak with the school first
If your child is having difficulties at school, the quickest route to a solution is to contact the school or pre-school. If you do not receive the appropriate help from the teacher, you should speak with the head teacher, who has overall responsibility for the school. It is, for example, the head teacher who should ensure that pupils are given the support they need and who makes decisions about different measures. Most often, this is the simplest and quickest way to resolve any problems.
If the problem at school is not resolved after you have spoken with the head teacher, you should make use of the complaints procedures available within the municipality or at the independent school. All those who run a school are obligated to have procedures for receiving and investigating complaints made about their education services. The school can provide information about how their complaints procedures work and where to submit your complaint.
May I not go straight to the Swedish Schools Inspectorate?
You may indeed do so. Anyone is entitled to make a complaint to the Swedish Schools Inspectorate and the Child and School Student Representative.
Things you can make a complaint about
Your complaint to us may include shortcomings in pre-school, school-age child care, compulsory school, compulsory education for students with learning disabilities, upper secondary school, upper secondary education for students with learning disabilities, adult education, special school primarily for students with impaired hearing, vision and physical disabilities and the Sami School. The Child and School Student Representative and the Swedish Schools Inspectorate make sure that schools and pre-schools in Sweden follow the laws and regulations that govern these types of school.
To bear in mind before you make a complaint
- An investigation normally takes up to five months.
- We only investigate things that have already taken place.
- We cannot participate in resolving problems at the school itself.
- We may never alter the decision of a head teacher.
- Complaints as well as other documentation submitted to the Swedish Schools Inspectorate will be placed in the public domain. This may well mean that anyone will have the right to read this documentation. We do, however, have some powers to allow certain sensitive information to remain confidential.
- Please state clearly in your complaint if you have protected personal data so that we may allow these to remain confidential.
Would you like to remain anonymous?
You may remain anonymous, but bear in mind that doing so might make it more difficult for us to help you:
- If you choose to remain anonymous then we will not be able to keep you informed about the investigation and you will not receive a decision in the matter.
- We will only investigate a complaint made anonymously if it is possible to identify the child/student or if the complaint relates to a serious event.
- You cannot remain anonymous if you want us to investigate the possibility of damages on account of the degrading treatment your child has been subjected to.
Making a complaint
Your complaint should be made in writing. It would be very helpful if you used the online form found here:
Online form for making a complaint to the Swedish Schools Inspectorate (external link, new window)
You may also make your complaint in the form of an ordinary letter which you send to us in the post. You will find the address here:
Contact us
When you have made a complaint
When your complaint has been received by the Child and School Student Representative and the Swedish Schools Inspectorate, it is registered as a case and is allocated a reference number. After this, the case is assigned to an administrator for processing. If the administrator requires more information, he or she will contact you.
When you have made your complaint, you will receive confirmation that we have received it. On it, you will find your reference number. If you wish to contact the administrator, it will be easier if you are able to state the reference number of your complaint.
But we do not investigate all complaints. If, for example, you have not made use of the complaints procedures available within the municipality or at the independent school, we may instead refer your complaint to the complaints procedures of the municipality or independent school. But you will always receive a decision stating what it is we have decided.
We contact the school
If we investigate the case, we will contact the school/pre-school and ask a number of questions. The information we receive from the school will be made available to you, so that you have the chance to give your opinion. Sometimes the administrator will need to contact both you and the school or municipality more than once in order to gather enough information about what has taken place.
When the investigation is completed, you and the school receive a decision
When the investigation is completed, the Child and School Student Representative or the Swedish Schools Inspectorate will make a decision. Copies of the decision are sent at the same time to you and to the owner of the school, the principal organizer. In most cases, this will be a municipality, but it might also be a company which runs an independent school. In certain cases, the decision is also sent to the school's head teacher.
What a complaint may lead to
If the Child and School Student Representative and the Swedish Schools Inspectorate conclude that the school has not followed the regulations, we will call for the school to make changes in its work so that it follows the laws and regulations which govern it. If the shortcomings are of a serious nature, we may issue the principal organizer, who runs the school, with an injunction calling for remedial action. In very serious cases, the Child and School Student Representative and the Swedish Schools Inspectorate may decide to close a school temporarily, revoke an independent school's licence to operate or, in the case of a municipal school, to intervene and take whatever action is deemed necessary.
Shortcomings of a less serious nature may lead to our issuing a school with official criticism or to our refraining from intervention.
The Child and School Student Representative may also call for damages on behalf of a student who has been subjected to degrading treatment. However, the opportunity to call for damages only applies in the case of degrading treatment, and then only in certain cases. If calling for damages becomes relevant in your case, the Child and School Student Representative will always contact you.