Complaints
Policy
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/carer 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 LA. If our school cannot resolve any complaint itself, those concerned can ask the LA to intervene.
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.
The Complaints Process
If a parent/carer 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/carer feels that a situation has not been resolved through contact with the class teacher, or if their concern is of a sufficiently serious nature, they should make an appointment to discuss it with the Assistant Headteacher (KS1 Manager) or Deputy Headteacher (KS2 Manager) /Senior Manager, depending on the severity of the situation. They will report any significant findings to the Headteacher who will take action as appropriate. Most complaints are normally resolved at this stage.
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/carer should send this written complaint to the Chair of the Governors. The Headteacher will inform the parent/carer of their right to do this if they have stated that they are not satisfied with the “informal” steps taken.
The governoring body must consider all written complaints within three weeks of receipt. After discussing if it is suitable, it arranges a meeting to discuss the complaint, and invites the person making it to attend the meeting, so that he/she can explain his/her complaint in more detail. The school gives the complainant at least three days’ notice of the meeting. All complaints will be acknowledged in writing.
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 parents/carers satisfaction.
If the complaint is not resolved, a parent/carer may make representation to the LA. Further information about the process is available from the school or fron the LA. 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/carer is still not content that the complaint has been dealt with properly, then he/she is entitled to appeal to the Secretary of State for Education.
Monitoring and Review
The governors monitor the complaints procedure in order to ensure that all complaints are handled properly. The Headteacher logs all formal complaints rreceived by the school and records how they were resolved. Governors examine this log on an annual basis.
Governors take into account any local or national decisions that affects the complaints process and make any modifications necessary to this policy. This policy is made available to all parents/carers so that they can be properly informed about the complaints process.
KB & Governors- October 2007
To be reviewed October 2009
