Complaints Policy
1 Introduction
We believe that our school provides a good education for all our children, and that the Headteacher and other staff work very hard to build positive relationships with all parents. However, the school is obliged to have procedures in place in case there are complaints by parents. The following policy sets out the procedure that the school follows in such cases.
If any parent/guardian is unhappy with the education that their child is receiving, or has any concern relating to the school, we encourage that person to talk to the child’s class teacher immediately.
We deal with all complaints in accordance with procedures set out by the LEA. If the
school cannot resolve any complaint itself, those concerned can ask the LEA to
intervene.
All parents/guardians have the right, as a last resort, to appeal to the Secretary of State
For Education, if they still feel that their complaint has not been properly addressed.
2 Aims and objectives
Our school aims to be fair, open and honest when dealing with any complaint. We
give careful consideration to all complaints and deal with them as swiftly as possible.
We aim to resolve any complaint through dialogue and mutual understanding and, in
all cases, we put the interests of the child above all other issues. We provide
sufficient opportunity for any complaint to be fully discussed, and then resolved.
3 The complaints process
If a parent/guardian is concerned about anything to do with the education that we are
providing at our school, they should, in the first instance, discuss the matter with their
child’s class teacher. Most matters of concern can be dealt with in this way. All
teachers work very hard to ensure that each child is happy at school, and is making
good progress; they always want to know if there is a problem, so that they can take
action before the problem seriously affects the child’s progress.
Where a parent/guardian feels that a situation has not been resolved through contact
with the Child’s class teacher, or that their concern is of a sufficiently serious nature,
they should make an appointment to discuss it with the Headteacher. The Headteacher
considers any such complaint very seriously and investigates each case thoroughly.
Most complaints are normally resolved at this stage.
Should a parent/guardian have a complaint about the Headteacher, they should first
make an informal approach to one of the members of the governing body, who is
obliged to investigate it. The governor in question will do all they can to resolve the
issue through a dialogue with the school, but if a parent/guardian is unhappy with the
outcome, they can make a formal complaint, as outlined below.
Only if an informal complaint fails to resolve the matter should a formal complaint be
made to the Governing body. This complaint must be made in writing, stating the
nature of the complaint and how the school has handled it so far. The parent should
send this written complaint to the Chair of Governors.
The Governing body must consider all written complaints within three weeks of
receipt. It arranges a meeting to discuss the complaint, and invites the person
making it to attend the meeting, so that they can explain their complaint in more
detail. The school gives the complainant at least three days’ notice of the meeting.
After hearing all the evidence, the governors consider their decision and inform the
parent about it in writing. The governors do all they can at this stage to resolve the
complaint to the parent’s satisfaction.
If the complaint is not resolved, a parent may make representation to the LEA. Further information about this process is available from the school or from the LEA. A further meeting is chaired by an independent person, who considers all the evidence and makes a further judgement in an attempt to resolve the complaint.
If any parent is still not content that the complaint has been dealt with properly, then
s/he is entitled to appeal to the Secretary of State for Education.
4 Monitoring and review
The Chair of governors will monitor the complaints procedure, in order to ensure that
all complaints are handled properly. The Headteacher will log all complaints received
by the school and record how they were resolved. The School Governing Body will
examine this log on an annual basis.
The School Governing Body takes into account any local or national decisions that
affect the complaints process, and make any modifications necessary to this policy.
This policy is made available to all parents, so that they can be properly informed
about the complaints process.
1 Introduction
We believe that our school provides a good education for all our children, and that the Headteacher and other staff work very hard to build positive relationships with all parents. However, the school is obliged to have procedures in place in case there are complaints by parents. The following policy sets out the procedure that the school follows in such cases.
If any parent/guardian is unhappy with the education that their child is receiving, or has any concern relating to the school, we encourage that person to talk to the child’s class teacher immediately.
We deal with all complaints in accordance with procedures set out by the LEA. If the
school cannot resolve any complaint itself, those concerned can ask the LEA to
intervene.
All parents/guardians have the right, as a last resort, to appeal to the Secretary of State
For Education, if they still feel that their complaint has not been properly addressed.
2 Aims and objectives
Our school aims to be fair, open and honest when dealing with any complaint. We
give careful consideration to all complaints and deal with them as swiftly as possible.
We aim to resolve any complaint through dialogue and mutual understanding and, in
all cases, we put the interests of the child above all other issues. We provide
sufficient opportunity for any complaint to be fully discussed, and then resolved.
3 The complaints process
If a parent/guardian is concerned about anything to do with the education that we are
providing at our school, they should, in the first instance, discuss the matter with their
child’s class teacher. Most matters of concern can be dealt with in this way. All
teachers work very hard to ensure that each child is happy at school, and is making
good progress; they always want to know if there is a problem, so that they can take
action before the problem seriously affects the child’s progress.
Where a parent/guardian feels that a situation has not been resolved through contact
with the Child’s class teacher, or that their concern is of a sufficiently serious nature,
they should make an appointment to discuss it with the Headteacher. The Headteacher
considers any such complaint very seriously and investigates each case thoroughly.
Most complaints are normally resolved at this stage.
Should a parent/guardian have a complaint about the Headteacher, they should first
make an informal approach to one of the members of the governing body, who is
obliged to investigate it. The governor in question will do all they can to resolve the
issue through a dialogue with the school, but if a parent/guardian is unhappy with the
outcome, they can make a formal complaint, as outlined below.
Only if an informal complaint fails to resolve the matter should a formal complaint be
made to the Governing body. This complaint must be made in writing, stating the
nature of the complaint and how the school has handled it so far. The parent should
send this written complaint to the Chair of Governors.
The Governing body must consider all written complaints within three weeks of
receipt. It arranges a meeting to discuss the complaint, and invites the person
making it to attend the meeting, so that they can explain their complaint in more
detail. The school gives the complainant at least three days’ notice of the meeting.
After hearing all the evidence, the governors consider their decision and inform the
parent about it in writing. The governors do all they can at this stage to resolve the
complaint to the parent’s satisfaction.
If the complaint is not resolved, a parent may make representation to the LEA. Further information about this process is available from the school or from the LEA. A further meeting is chaired by an independent person, who considers all the evidence and makes a further judgement in an attempt to resolve the complaint.
If any parent is still not content that the complaint has been dealt with properly, then
s/he is entitled to appeal to the Secretary of State for Education.
4 Monitoring and review
The Chair of governors will monitor the complaints procedure, in order to ensure that
all complaints are handled properly. The Headteacher will log all complaints received
by the school and record how they were resolved. The School Governing Body will
examine this log on an annual basis.
The School Governing Body takes into account any local or national decisions that
affect the complaints process, and make any modifications necessary to this policy.
This policy is made available to all parents, so that they can be properly informed
about the complaints process.