Complaints forms and Guidance on AI tools for Concerns/Complaints
Complaint Forms
Below are Word Document versions of the Knowledge Schools Trust - General Policies from the Feedback, Concerns and Complaints Procedure (available here).
Guidance on using AI tools to raise concerns or complaints
Introduction
AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini and similar large language model applications) can help you organise your thoughts, structure your concern or complaint clearly, and express yourself effectively. However, these tools have significant limitations and must be used with care. This Annex provides practical guidance on how to use AI tools effectively when raising a concern or complaint under this procedure, and what to avoid.
If you are unsure about how to use AI tools when raising a concern or complaint, or if you would like help preparing your concern or complaint, please contact the Clerk at Clerk@KS-T.org and we will arrange for a member of staff to assist you.
How AI tools can help you
AI tools can be useful for:
- (a) Organising your thoughts and structuring your concern or complaint in a clear and logical way;
- (b) Helping you express what happened in plain, clear language if you find writing difficult;
- (c) Summarising a timeline of events based on information you provide;
- (d) Suggesting what outcome you might want to ask for; and
- (e) Checking your draft for clarity, tone and spelling before you submit it.
Important limitations and risks
You should be aware of the following limitations and risks when using AI tools:
- (a) AI tools do not know what happened – they can only work with the information you give them, and they may fill gaps with invented details that sound convincing but are untrue (this is sometimes called 'hallucination');
- (b) AI tools may generate references to laws, regulations, policies or legal rights that do not exist, are out of date, or do not apply to your situation;
- (c) AI tools may produce language that is overly formal, legalistic or aggressive, which may not reflect your genuine concern and may make it harder for us to resolve the matter constructively;
- (d) any personal data (including names, dates of birth, or other identifying information about your child, other children, staff or other individuals) that you enter into an AI tool may be stored, processed or used by the AI provider in ways that are outside your control and may breach data protection law;
- (e) AI-generated complaints that do not accurately reflect your experience may cause delays in resolving your concern, as we may need to spend time clarifying what actually happened; and
- (f) AI tools work by predicting the most likely answer based on the information they have been trained on. They do not check whether their output is accurate or relevant to your particular situation, and the most likely-sounding answer is not always the correct one. AI tools are also designed to make you feel helped and understood, which means they may agree with your point of view, use an overly sympathetic tone, or present your complaint in a one-sided way rather than giving a balanced account of what happened. This can wrongly reinforce your point of view and make you more fixed in your position, which may make it harder for us to work together to resolve the matter.
What to do and what to avoid
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Do |
Don’t |
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Write down the key facts yourself first (what happened, when, who was involved, and what you would like us to do) before using an AI tool. |
Copy and paste AI-generated text without reading and checking it thoroughly. |
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Use AI to help you structure and clarify what you have already written, rather than to generate the complaint from scratch. |
Submit a complaint that contains facts, events or details that you have not personally verified as accurate. |
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Read everything the AI produces carefully and remove or correct anything that is inaccurate, exaggerated or that you did not experience. |
Rely on any legal advice, references to legislation or statements about your rights generated by an AI tool without checking them independently. |
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Use your own words where possible – your complaint should sound like you. |
Enter the names or personal data of your child, other children, staff members or any other individuals into an AI tool. |
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Remove all personal data (names, dates of birth and other identifying information about individuals) before entering any information into an AI tool – you can use placeholders such as 'my child', 'the class teacher' or 'Teacher A' instead. |
Use AI to generate multiple or repetitive complaints about the same issue. |
Example prompts for using AI tools effectively
The following example prompts illustrate how AI tools can be used effectively to help you prepare a concern or complaint.
In each case, you should replace the descriptions in square brackets with your own details, taking care not to include any personal data or names.
Example 1 Organising your thoughts:
"I want to raise a concern with my child's school about [describe the issue in general terms, e.g. 'how a bullying incident was handled']. The key things that happened are: [list the main events in the order they happened, using descriptions such as 'my child', 'the class teacher' etc. instead of names]. Can you help me organise these into a clear, chronological summary that I can use when speaking to the school?"
Why this helps: Before writing a formal complaint, it can be difficult to know where to start, particularly if a number of things have happened over a period of time. This prompt helps you to present the key events in a logical order, making it easier for us to understand your concern and for you to feel confident that nothing important has been left out.
Example 2 – Structuring a written complaint:
"I need to write a formal complaint to my child's school. The issue is [describe the issue]. I have already tried to resolve this informally by [describe what you did]. The key facts are [list the facts]. The outcome I am looking for is [describe what you want to happen]. Can you help me structure this into a clear letter, using plain language and a respectful tone? Do not add any facts or details that I have not provided."
Why this helps: A well-structured complaint is more likely to be understood and dealt with effectively. This prompt helps you to set out the issue, the steps you have already taken, the relevant facts, and the outcome you are seeking in a clear and logical way, without the AI tool adding anything you have not told it.
Example 3 – Checking tone and clarity:
"I have drafted the following complaint to my child's school: [paste your draft, with names removed]. Can you suggest how I could make this clearer and more constructive in tone, without changing the facts or adding anything new?"
Why this helps: When raising a concern or complaint, it is natural to feel frustrated or upset. This prompt allows you to check that your draft communicates your concern clearly and constructively, which is more likely to lead to a productive response, without altering the substance of what you have written.
Example 4 – Identifying what outcome to request:
"I am raising a complaint with my child's school about [describe the issue]. I am not sure what outcome to ask for. Based on the facts I have described, can you suggest some realistic outcomes I could request? Please do not suggest legal remedies or refer to specific laws."
Why this helps: It is not always easy to know what to ask for when raising a complaint. This prompt can help you to think through realistic and proportionate outcomes, whilst ensuring that the AI tool does not stray into providing legal advice, which it is not equipped to give.