Complaints Procedure
Stage One:
Complaint Heard by Staff Member
- It is in everyone’s interest that complaints are resolved at the earliest possible stage.
- The school will respect the views of the complainant who indicates that they would have difficulty discussing a complaint with a particular member of staff. In these cases, the Complaints Co-ordinator, Director of Student Welfare (Mrs S Ridley) should be contacted and she will refer the complainant to another staff member. Where the complaint concerns the Headteacher, the Complaints Co-ordinator will refer the complainant to the Chair of Governors.
- If a complaint is made to a Governor, the Governor will refer the complainant to the appropriate person and advise them about the procedure.
Stage Two
Complaint Heard by Headteacher
- The complainant may be dissatisfied with the way the complaint was handled at stage one as well as pursuing their initial complaint. In certain circumstances the Headteacher may delegate the task of collating the information to another staff member but not the decision on the action to be taken.
- If the complaint has been raised with the Headteacher and the complainant is not satisfied with the response the next stage is to take the matter to the Chair of Governors.
Stage Three
Complaint Heard by The Governing Body Complaints Appeal Panel
- The complainant needs to write to the Chair of Governors giving details of the complaint. The Chair, or a nominated Governor, will convene a Governors' Complaints Panel. The Clerk to Governors will arrange a Complaints hearing within 15 working days of the receipt of the written complaint.
- The Governing Body has nominated the Personnel Committee with delegated powers to hear complaints. An Appeal Panel will be drawn from the nominated members and will consist of three people.
The Remit of The Complaints Appeal Panel
The Panel will choose their own Chair.
The Panel can:
- dismiss the complaint in whole or in part;
- uphold the complaint in whole or in part;
- decide on the appropriate action to be taken to resolve the complaint;
- recommend changes to the school’s systems or procedures to ensure that problems of a similar nature do not recur.
The Panel will be independent and impartial. No Governor will sit on the Panel if they have had a prior involvement in the complaint or in the circumstances surrounding it.
The hearing will be held in private and the aim will always be to resolve the complaint and achieve reconciliation between the school and the complainant.
The Panel Chair will ensure that the proceedings are as welcoming as possible and will ensure the setting is informal and not adversarial.
Extra care will be taken when the complainant is a student. The Panel will be aware of the views of the student and give them equal consideration to those of adults. Where the student’s parent is the complainant, the parent will have the opportunity to say which parts of the hearing, if any, the student needs to attend.
Roles and Responsibilities
The Role of the Clerk
The Clerk to the Governors (Mr A Burton) will be the contact point for the complainant and be required to:
- set the date, time and venue of the hearing, ensuring that the dates are convenient to all parties and that the venue and proceedings are accessible;
- collate any written material and send it to the parties in advance of the hearing;
- meet and welcome the parties as they arrive at the hearing;
- record the proceedings;
- notify all parties of the Panel’s decision.
The Role of the Chair of the Governing Body
The Chair of the Governing Body will:
- check that the correct procedure has been followed;
- if a hearing is appropriate, notify the Clerk to arrange the Panel.
The Role of the Chair of the Panel
The Chair of the Panel will ensure that:
- the remit of the Panel is explained to the parties and each party has the opportunity of putting their case without undue interruption;
- the issues are addressed;
- key findings of fact are made;
- parents and others are put at ease;
- the hearing is conducted in an informal manner with each party treating the other with respect and courtesy;
- the Panel is open minded and acting independently;
- no member of the Panel has a vested interest in the outcome of the proceedings or any involvement in an earlier stage of the procedure;
- each side is given the opportunity to state their case and ask questions;
- written material is seen by all parties. If a new issue arises it would be useful to give all parties the opportunity to consider and comment on it.
Notification of the Panel’s Decision
The Chair of the Panel will ensure that the complainant is notified of the Panel’s decision, in writing, with the Panel’s response within 10 days of the hearing.
At the next Full Governors' Meeting a brief statement will be made that the Complaints Panel had met to consider a complaint. The proceedings will be kept confidential and no further details will be given.
The Role of the LEA
The responsibility for the day-to-day running of the school lies with the Headteacher and the Governing Body. The LEA will give advice and information and act as a facilitator in resolving differences. An LEA parent Officer (Mrs L Bedford) is available to give advice to parents and carers.
The Role of the Secretary of State for Education
If a complainant feels that their complaint has not been correctly handled, they may ask the Secretary of State to investigate the procedures followed.
