✉️ Ready-made letters & your records
You don't need a lawyer to write an effective formal letter. Below are templates you can copy, fill in and send — by email or by post. Each one has a plain explanation. Letters are in English (that is what UK institutions expect); the explanations are in your language.
🔑 Your right no. 1: get your records (Subject Access Request)
Every organisation — a school, a council, the police, the DWP, a hospital, your employer — must give you a copy of the personal data it holds about you. This is called a Subject Access Request (SAR). It is free, and they normally must respond within one calendar month. You don't need any special form — a short letter or email is enough.
Here is the part many people don't know: an organisation cannot refuse your request just because the documents also mention other people. If, for example, a school says it 'cannot share information because of other children', that is not how the law works — they must give you YOUR information with other people's details blacked out (redacted). A vague summary is not enough either: you are entitled to a copy of the data itself.
Parents can usually make a request on behalf of a young child. If the organisation ignores you or sends only generalities, use the follow-up letter below — and if that fails, complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk), which is free.
Why this matters: your records are often the strongest evidence of how an institution really treated you. Meeting notes, incident reports and internal emails frequently tell a very different story from official replies.
✏️ Replace everything in [square brackets] with your details before sending. Keep a copy of every letter you send.
Subject Access Request — get a copy of your records
When to use it: You want to see what a school, council, employer, GP, police force or any organisation has written about you (or your child).
Subject Access Request — get a copy of your records
When to use it: You want to see what a school, council, employer, GP, police force or any organisation has written about you (or your child).
What this letter does: This letter uses your right under Article 15 UK GDPR. The organisation normally has one calendar month to reply, it's free, and they cannot refuse just because documents mention other people — they must redact others' details instead. The letter says this explicitly so they can't brush you off.
[Your name] [Your address] [Your email] [Date] To: [Name of the organisation, e.g. Springfield Primary School] [Their address or email] SUBJECT ACCESS REQUEST — [your full name], [your date of birth] Dear Sir or Madam, I am making a subject access request under Article 15 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. Please provide me with a copy of all personal data you hold about me, including (but not limited to): my file, emails and letters that mention me, notes of meetings and telephone calls, incident reports, assessments and internal correspondence. [IF FOR YOUR CHILD, ADD: I make this request on behalf of my child, [child's full name], [child's date of birth], as their parent/guardian.] Please note: if documents also contain other people's information, this is not a reason to refuse my request. As the law requires, please provide my (or my child's) personal data with third parties' details redacted. A general summary is not sufficient — I am entitled to a copy of the data itself. This request is free of charge and you must respond within one calendar month. If you need to verify my identity, please tell me promptly what you require. If I do not receive a full response, I will complain to the Information Commissioner's Office. Yours faithfully, [Your name]
SAR follow-up — when they ignore you or reply with generalities
When to use it: You sent a SAR and got no reply, only a vague summary, or a refusal 'because of other people's data'.
SAR follow-up — when they ignore you or reply with generalities
When to use it: You sent a SAR and got no reply, only a vague summary, or a refusal 'because of other people's data'.
What this letter does: Institutions often hope people will give up after a vague reply. This letter names the two most common tricks — a summary instead of copies, and hiding behind other people's data — and sets a 14-day deadline before an ICO complaint. Complaints to the ICO are free and often trigger a rapid change of attitude.
[Your name] [Your address] [Date] To: [Name of the organisation] [Their address or email] FOLLOW-UP TO MY SUBJECT ACCESS REQUEST OF [date of your first letter] Dear Sir or Madam, On [date] I made a subject access request. [CHOOSE: I have received no response. / Your reply of [date] contained only general information and did not include copies of my personal data. / You refused my request on the basis that documents contain other people's information.] I remind you that: 1. Under Article 15 UK GDPR I am entitled to a COPY of my personal data — not only a summary or a description of it. 2. The presence of other people's information in a document is not a lawful ground to withhold it entirely. You must provide the document with third parties' details redacted. 3. The statutory deadline of one calendar month [has passed / is approaching]. Please provide the outstanding data within 14 days of this letter. If I do not receive it, I will complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk) and provide this correspondence as evidence. Yours faithfully, [Your name]
Formal complaint to a public body (council, school, NHS, DWP)
When to use it: An institution treated you unfairly, didn't follow its own rules, or ignored you — and you want it on the record.
Formal complaint to a public body (council, school, NHS, DWP)
When to use it: An institution treated you unfairly, didn't follow its own rules, or ignored you — and you want it on the record.
What this letter does: The word 'formal complaint' matters: it forces the institution to use its official complaints procedure, with deadlines and a written outcome. That written outcome is your ticket to the ombudsman if they don't put things right. If you believe the treatment was linked to who you are (nationality, disability, sex…), say so — it puts the Equality Act in play.
[Your name] [Your address] [Date] To: [Complaints team / Headteacher / Practice Manager] [Name and address of the institution] FORMAL COMPLAINT — [your name / your reference number] Dear Sir or Madam, I wish to make a formal complaint under your complaints procedure. WHAT HAPPENED: [Describe events briefly and factually, with dates. For example: "On 12 May 2026 I attended a meeting with... I was told that... Despite three emails (15, 22 and 29 May) I received no response."] WHY I BELIEVE THIS WAS WRONG: [For example: you did not follow your published policy; I was given no decision or reasons; I was treated worse than other people in the same situation.] [IF RELEVANT, ADD: I believe I was treated this way because of my [nationality / race / disability / sex / religion / other protected characteristic]. If so, this may amount to discrimination under the Equality Act 2010, and I ask you to address this point specifically in your response.] WHAT I WOULD LIKE: [For example: a written explanation and apology; a review of the decision; the service I was entitled to; changes so this does not happen to others.] Please: (1) confirm receipt of this complaint, (2) send me a copy of your complaints procedure, and (3) tell me when I will receive a full response. Please deal with this in writing. Yours faithfully, [Your name]
Grievance letter to your employer
When to use it: Problems at work: unfair treatment, discrimination, harassment, unpaid wages — and informal talks changed nothing.
Grievance letter to your employer
When to use it: Problems at work: unfair treatment, discrimination, harassment, unpaid wages — and informal talks changed nothing.
What this letter does: A written grievance is the official first step in most workplace disputes — employment tribunals expect to see that you tried it. It creates a paper trail, obliges the employer to hold a meeting, and you have the right to bring a colleague or union rep. Punishing you for raising a grievance in good faith is itself unlawful.
[Your name] [Your job title] [Date] To: [Your manager's name / HR department] FORMAL GRIEVANCE Dear [Name], I am raising a formal grievance under the company's grievance procedure. THE ISSUE: [Describe what happened, with dates, places and names. For example: "Since March 2026 my shifts have been repeatedly changed without notice, while colleagues... On 4 June my supervisor said to me that..."] [IF RELEVANT, ADD: I believe this treatment is connected to my [nationality / sex / disability / pregnancy / religion / other protected characteristic] and may amount to discrimination or harassment under the Equality Act 2010.] EVIDENCE I RELY ON: [List: emails, messages, rotas, payslips, names of witnesses.] WHAT I WOULD LIKE: [For example: for the conduct to stop; payment of what I am owed; a transfer; a written assurance about future treatment.] Please arrange a grievance meeting at the earliest opportunity. I understand I have the right to be accompanied by a colleague or a trade union representative. Yours sincerely, [Your name]
Mandatory Reconsideration — challenge a benefits decision (PIP, UC, ESA)
When to use it: The DWP refused or reduced your benefit and you disagree. You normally have 1 month from the decision letter.
Mandatory Reconsideration — challenge a benefits decision (PIP, UC, ESA)
When to use it: The DWP refused or reduced your benefit and you disagree. You normally have 1 month from the decision letter.
What this letter does: Mandatory Reconsideration is the compulsory first step before a tribunal appeal. Don't just say you disagree — point at specific errors and attach evidence. Most MRs are refused, but don't be discouraged: the next step (independent tribunal) is free and most people who attend with some support win. If you're late, still send it — with an honest explanation.
[Your name] [Your address] [Your National Insurance number] [Date] To: [The office address on your decision letter — DWP] MANDATORY RECONSIDERATION REQUEST — [benefit, e.g. Personal Independence Payment], decision dated [date on the letter] Dear Sir or Madam, I am asking you to reconsider your decision of [date] about my [benefit]. I disagree with the decision because: 1. [Point at a specific error. For example: "The assessment report says I can walk 200 metres without difficulty. This is not correct — I can walk about 20 metres before I need to stop because of pain, as my GP confirms."] 2. [Another specific point — take the decision letter and respond to it point by point.] 3. [What the decision ignored — e.g. bad days, medication side effects, help you need from others.] I enclose the following evidence: [GP letter, hospital letters, prescription list, carer's statement]. [IF YOU ARE LATE, ADD: I apologise that this request is outside the one-month deadline. The reason is [illness / I did not receive the letter until... / personal circumstances]. I ask you to accept it late.] Please send me a Mandatory Reconsideration Notice with your response, as I may wish to appeal to the tribunal. Yours faithfully, [Your name]