Schools are experiencing an 鈥渆xponential rise鈥 in AI-generated parental complaints, experts have warned, with headteachers warning they 鈥渁ren鈥檛 sleeping鈥 due to the stress. Parents made more than five-million formal complaints against schools last year, according to analysis by . Teacher Tapp data suggests 61 per cent of heads have noticed the use of AI in complaints they鈥檝e received. Heads, trust leaders and lawyers told Schools Week about formal complaints over a school giving a child a cold lunch rather than hot, for following a family court order and even for covering a child鈥檚 verruca with tape in a PE lesson. AI-generated complaints are often lengthy, cite multiple pieces of legislation, have 鈥渁ntagonised and inflamed language鈥, and demand 鈥渄raconian consequences鈥 for teachers involved in incidents. However, other heads have said using AI has been 鈥渆nabling for parents鈥 who otherwise would not have the voice or confidence to speak up. And legal experts warned the complaints are 鈥渟ymptomatic of a wider problem, signalling underlying relationship issues, breakdowns and communication failures鈥. An ‘exponential rise’ School complaints processes first seek to resolve issues informally. But when a formal complaint letter is sent, leaders must launch an investigation. Complaints can then be raised to a governors鈥 panel or the Department for Education if parents remain unsatisfied. John Walker, partner and data protection officer at PHP law, said schools have experienced an 鈥渆xponential rise鈥 in AI-generated complaints since January 2024. Estimating that about one third of complaints he dealt with were written by AI, Walker said he had seen 鈥渕asses鈥 of threats of direct legal action against members of staff, or tribunals for disability discrimination. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 seen a single case where the legal action that鈥檚 being threatened against people would be relevant,鈥 Walker said. Adam Jackson, senior associate at Winckworth Sherwood Law, said his firm had 鈥渟een parents quote case law from hundreds of years ago, or quote US legislation and very much missing the point, claiming rights where they absolutely have no rights鈥. Jackson has dealt with complaints 鈥渁s small as parents using AI to generate ridiculous arguments about the state of the school menu, all the way up to these huge claims of negligence against the governing bodies that then go through the court鈥. ‘Harshly worded’ letters At Lakenham Primary School in Norwich, a teacher covered a child鈥檚 verruca with gym tape before their gymnastics lesson. The next morning, headteacher Cassandra Williams received a 鈥渉arshly worded鈥 four-page formal complaint from the child鈥檚 mother, which set out steps of 鈥渨hat they were going to do towards us because of us breaching human rights鈥. Williams spent hours going through the complaint only to 鈥渇ind out there was nothing of real substance for a letter like that to ever be sent鈥. At Bellevue Education Trust, CEO Mark Greatrex received 13 complaints last year and four so far this year 鈥 the majority of which were generated with AI. His headteachers dealt with 鈥渟ignificantly more鈥, Greatrex said. Greatrex said his schools, spanning London and Berkshire, had received multiple complaints following court orders over separated families. Daniel Cusani, deputy head of Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys in Kent, received a 58-page long AI-generated complaint about exams, which quoted 鈥渁bsolutely everything鈥 with a 鈥渉uge鈥 level of detail. 鈥淚 want to know actually what the main source of the complaint is and what they want to get out of it 鈥 but that gets lost in a 60-page document鈥, he said. ‘People aren’t sleeping’ For Chris Taylor, headteacher of Linden Primary School in Leicester, AI-generated complaints demanded the leadership take a clearer stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 been a genuine feeling 鈥 and AI has been used to articulate this 鈥 that the school, the city, should have done more to fundraise for Palestine鈥 think AI has been used as a particular vehicle to channel people鈥檚 emotions, understandably, about a world conflict.鈥 But in some cases, he added, there was a 鈥渓evel of aggression and AI was used to channel that aggression towards me鈥. Louise Clements McLeod, an NAHT union representative in Norfolk, said a headteacher in her area 鈥 who wanted to remain anonymous 鈥 had received a complaint about a teacher giving their child a cold packed lunch, rather than warm meal. Clements McLeod said the complaint was asking 鈥渨hat was going to happen to the teacher, wanting really big draconian consequences for the member of staff鈥. At her own school, Drake Primary, an AI-generated complaint involving one five-year old child hurting another was followed-up by the police. 鈥淲hat will happen is a parent will email at six, seven, eight o鈥檆lock at night鈥eople aren鈥檛 sleeping and they鈥檙e worrying about it.鈥 ‘Parents are struggling massively’ Nearly all leaders who spoke to Schools Week said complaints generated with AI were not upheld. Antonia Spinks, CEO of Pioneer Educational Trust, said although complaints received have 鈥渁ntagonised and inflamed language鈥, under the surface it shows that 鈥減arents themselves are struggling massively鈥. Antonia Spinks Spinks, whose trust received six complaints in six months, said they often concerned SEND provision or cost-of-living struggles. 鈥淲hat we find it that behind those things, there鈥檚 something that the family is grappling with that we鈥檙e unaware of. That鈥檚 probably why they鈥檙e feeling emotional.鈥 Greatrex said parents were choosing the formal complaints process 鈥渂ecause it looks professional鈥 over 鈥渁ctual genuine relationships and conversations鈥. But Carolyn Ellis-Gage, headteacher of Parkside School in Norwich, said using AI for complaints has been 鈥渜uite enabling for our parents鈥 and has 鈥済iven them a way to voice鈥 their concerns. Her special school has about 53 per cent of children receiving pupil premium, while many parents have 鈥減articularly low literacy levels鈥. She said: 鈥淔or them, to be able to follow a complaints procedure and really clearly put out what their concerns are, is often really challenging鈥hat doesn鈥檛 make their concerns any less appropriate or any less worthy.鈥 ‘Symptomatic of a wider problem’ Claire Archibald, legal director at Browne Jacobson, said complaints are a 鈥渟ymptom in schools鈥 and 鈥渘ot the disease itself鈥. According to ParentKind, more a quarter of 2,000 parents polled thought there had been a breakdown of parent-school relationships. Claire Archibald 鈥淭hey鈥檙e symptomatic of a wider problem, signalling underlying relationship issues, breakdowns and communications failures,鈥 Archibald said. PHP Law is considering introducing a policy around a parent鈥檚 reasonable use of AI in their communications. And Pioneer Educational Trust has developed a standardised response to complaints that can be bespoked to parents鈥 concerns. Around 40 school have started to use their own AI-assisted tool, , to streamline the complaints process. Sam Flood, who co-founded the tool with Jack Allen, said it aimed to 鈥渢urn complaints into an opportunity for schools to reconnect with their parents鈥. The platform allows schools or trusts to log complaints and follow its own step-by-step process. Internalised AI-tools can be used to draft responses, but these must be approved by a member of staff before being sent. Schools can also assign the complaints to categories, to allow patterns to emerge. When asked whether AI was the answer to the problem, Flood said: 鈥淧rovided we are really careful explaining how the app works and making sure the benefits are always focused on how it can improve the relationship between parents and schools, people don鈥檛 mind.鈥 Jackson said it was 鈥渁bout bringing it back to a human level鈥 but that government needs to provide 鈥渕ore substantial up to date guidance that acknowledges these pressures that AI generated complaints are making鈥 for schools. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said in June the current system was 鈥渨orking for no one鈥, with ministers promising to draw up new guidance.