We encourage parents and carers to discuss any concerns or complaints with the early years and childcare setting in the first instance. If you cannot resolve your concern or complaint with the setting directly, there are organisations who can provide support, depending on the nature of the query.
Complaints about standards of education, care or safety
Early years and childcare settings in England are regulated and inspected by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted). Contact Ofsted directly to raise a complaint or discuss a concern - you can ask to remain anonymous when you contact them.
If you cannot contact them yourself, you can ask the Family Information Service to contact Ofsted on your behalf.
If you think a child is in immediate danger call the police on 999.
Complaints about invoicing, charges or billing
Billing disputes are private, contractual matters between yourself and the early years and childcare setting. Free consumer advice is available from Citizen’s Advice.
If your child receives Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) through an early years and childcare setting, you can visit our EYFE web page which includes information on payments and costs.
If the dispute directly relates to charges applied during your child’s funded hours and cannot be resolved directly with the setting you can contact the Family Information Service for help.
Complaints about data protection
If you have a concern about the way an early years and childcare setting is handling your personal information, get advice from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).