Comments, compliments or complaints

Published 29/03/2018.  Last updated 30/06/2023

​​Through inspection and review Education Scotland aims to help improve standards, quality and learners' achievements in education and contribute to the wellbeing of the people of Scotland. We are committed to providing high-quality services. One of the ways we can continue to improve is by listening to you. Your comments, positive and negative, and complaints help us to recognise high-quality work as well as to improve the services we provide.

We welcome your views about the quality and impact of our work. Any suggestions you may have, help us to improve the services that we provide. If you are pleased with what we have done, please let us know and we shall pass this on to the relevant inspection teams.

We have a complaints handling procedure that sets out what providers and stakeholders can complain about in relation to inspection and review and how a complaint is dealt with.

A complaint is described as an expression of dissatisfaction with our work. Areas of complaint may include:

  • the standard and quality of our services or products
  • the content of our resources or websites
  • the conduct of a member of our staff.

If there is a problem during an inspection, staff should speak to the Managing Inspector or a member of the inspection team. It is easier to resolve any issues whilst the inspection is ongoing.

There are some issues we cannot deal with through our complaints handling procedure. We cannot resolve or investigate complaints about the establishments we inspect and work with. If you have a complaint about an establishment you must follow their own complaints handling procedure.​

We cannot accept challenges to evaluations made about an establishment or service as part of inspection or review as part of our complaints handling procedure. This is because during an inspection or review the establishment has the opportunity to provide all of the evidence needed for the inspection team to reach its evaluations.

​However, if a service user feels we had not followed due process during the course of an inspection or review, we would accept and investigate that complaint.

Related l​ink

Complaints handling procedure: A guide for service users​

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Comments, compliments or complaints

Published 29/03/2018.  Last updated 30/06/2023

​​Through inspection and review Education Scotland aims to help improve standards, quality and learners' achievements in education and contribute to the wellbeing of the people of Scotland. We are committed to providing high-quality services. One of the ways we can continue to improve is by listening to you. Your comments, positive and negative, and complaints help us to recognise high-quality work as well as to improve the services we provide.

We welcome your views about the quality and impact of our work. Any suggestions you may have, help us to improve the services that we provide. If you are pleased with what we have done, please let us know and we shall pass this on to the relevant inspection teams.

We have a complaints handling procedure that sets out what providers and stakeholders can complain about in relation to inspection and review and how a complaint is dealt with.

A complaint is described as an expression of dissatisfaction with our work. Areas of complaint may include:

  • the standard and quality of our services or products
  • the content of our resources or websites
  • the conduct of a member of our staff.

If there is a problem during an inspection, staff should speak to the Managing Inspector or a member of the inspection team. It is easier to resolve any issues whilst the inspection is ongoing.

There are some issues we cannot deal with through our complaints handling procedure. We cannot resolve or investigate complaints about the establishments we inspect and work with. If you have a complaint about an establishment you must follow their own complaints handling procedure.​

We cannot accept challenges to evaluations made about an establishment or service as part of inspection or review as part of our complaints handling procedure. This is because during an inspection or review the establishment has the opportunity to provide all of the evidence needed for the inspection team to reach its evaluations.

​However, if a service user feels we had not followed due process during the course of an inspection or review, we would accept and investigate that complaint.

Related l​ink

Complaints handling procedure: A guide for service users​

^ Back to top