AN Enfield father has called for better regulation of schools after complaints leveled at his daughter's school were rejected.

Jimmy Andreou has been battling with senior staff at Grange Park Primary School for several years over his assertions that his daughters have been bullied and the school has not done enough to punish the alleged perpetrators.

The governors cleared the school of any wrong doing, and Mr Andreou's efforts to take his grievances to Enfield Council and the Local Government Ombudsman were rebuffed.

The council said “the responsibility for dealing with complaints to a school lies with the headteacher and governing body”, in line with education legislation, and the ombudsman said he could not consider “internal matters”.

Mr Andreou, of World's End Lane, said: “There doesn't seem to be a department to hold teachers and schools to account.

“When I have asked people to look into our complaints they say they haven't got the power to, and that doesn't seem right.

“I have letters and correspondence going back seven or eight years, showing things that were said and then contradicted.”

The relationship between the cab driver and the school has broken down so much that Mr Andreou has called into question the behaviour of headteacher Paul Smith and chair of governors Tony Kramer.

The school, in return, has accused Mr Andreou of being “aggressive” in meetings with staff and implied he is a serial complainer.

Mr Andreou believes his assertions have been strengthened after an anonymous letter – apparently from a group of parents – was pinned up outside the school gates in May accusing the school of poor leadership.

When the Enfield Independent approached the school to discuss the war of words with Mr Andreou, it declined to comment other than say: “Complaints from Jimmy Andreou have already been dealt with by the school, Enfield Council and the Ombudsman. The matter is now closed.”

But it offered a robust defence of senior staff in response to the anonymous letter and an email campaign aimed at Mr Smith.

It said, in a statement, that governors have unanimously supported Mr Smith and Mr Kramer, and said: “The Grange Park parents group failed to use the school’s well established procedures for dealing with complaints.

“Grange Park has performed consistently well. Its last Ofsted in 2009 confirmed that its strong leadership was the key to its success and that governors played an outstanding role in the school’s development.

“Most parents support the school and express their satisfaction and appreciation for its good work in surveys and letters.

“Enfield Council fully supports the school and recognises its success. There is a robust complaints system in place at the school and parents are advised to use it if they have concerns.”

Mr Andreou has now resolved to take his complaints up with the Department of Education, and has submitted a folder of papers detailing disputes with the school dating back to 2004.