PARENTS lodging complaints against schools should be forced to pay, a Merseyside headteacher demanded last night.

The idea is the brainchild of Jim Donnelly, Merseyside convener for the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and headteacher at Litherland High School.

He said the controversial move would weed out a minority of “ineffective” mothers and fathers hell-bent on wasting schools’ time by making “frivolous” complaints.

Mr Donnelly spoke out as Sefton council became one of four local authorities to launch a new complaints procedure.

From next month, it will allow parents to go above governors and council officials and make their grievances directly to the Local Government Ombudsman.

It is due to be rolled out nationally next year.

Mr Donnelly said if parents were insistent on taking complaints that far, they should forfeit a deposit should their claims prove unfounded and unjustified.

He told the Daily Post it was right schools were held to account and had complaints procedures.

But he said his idea would stop “the Twips” – a nickname he has devised standing for “the two per cent of ineffective parents”.