 
If you have a suggestion or a concern
We would like you to tell us about it. We
welcome suggestions for improving our work in the school and want to know if you
have any concerns. Be assured that no matter what you wish to tell us, our support
and respect for you and your child in the school will not be affected in any way.
If you have a concern, please let us know as soon as possible. It is difficult for
us to properly investigate an incident or problem that happened some time ago. Depending
on circumstances, the governing body may decide not to consider a complaint about
something that occurred more than two months ago.
What to do first
Most concerns
can be sorted out quickly by speaking with your child’s form tutor or head of year.
Any teacher or the school administrator can help you find the right member of staff.
If you have a concern which you feel should be looked at by the headteacher in the
first instance you can contact him straightaway if you prefer. It is usually best
to discuss the problem face to face. You may need an appointment to do this, and
you can make one by ringing the school office. You can take a friend or relation
to the appointment with you if you would like to.
All staff will make every effort
to resolve your problem informally. They will make sure that they understand what
you feel went wrong, and they will explain their actions to you. They will ask what
you would like the school to do to put things right. Of course, this does not mean
that in every case it will be possible to achieve a satisfactory outcome but it
will help both you and the school to understand both sides of the question. It may
also help to prevent a similar problem arising again.
If you are still concerned
We will do all that we can to resolve matters straight away but if you are not entirely
satisfied with the teacher’s response (or with the headteacher's initial reaction
if he has already been involved) you can make a formal complaint to the headteacher.
This should be made in writing.
You may find it helpful at this stage to have a
copy of the full statement of the governing body's complaint procedure as this explains
in detail how complaints are dealt with. This is available from the school office.
The headteacher will contact you to discuss the problem. Usually you will be invited
to a face to face meeting. Again you may take a friend or someone else with you
if you wish. The headteacher will then conduct a full investigation of the complaint
and may interview any members of staff or pupils involved. You will receive a written
response to your complaint.
If you are still unhappy
We very much hope and expect
that we will have been able to resolve the problem by this stage. However, if you
are still not satisfied you may wish to make a formal complaint to the governing
body. You should write to the Clerk to the Governing Body. Initially your complaint
may, depending on circumstances, be dealt with by the Chairman of Governors. He/she
will try to see if there is a way forward. [Note that at this stage your complaint
will not be made known to other governors. This is so that
if it is necessary for
the governors to hold a formal hearing of your complaint they will be able to maintain
impartiality.]
If the Chairman is unable to resolve the matter, your complaint will
then be heard by a committee of three governors – the Complaints Review Committee.
As explained above, they will have no prior knowledge of the case and will thus
be able to make a fresh, unbiased assessment. You will be invited to attend the
committee meeting, accompanied by a friend or representative if you wish, and to
put your side of the matter. The headteacher will also attend to give his account.
The governing body's complaints procedure explains how these meetings are conducted.
You will be informed in writing of the Committee’s decision.
If your complaint is
about an action of the headteacher personally
If your complaint is about an action
of the headteacher personally, then you should refer it to the Chairman of Governors.
You can contact him/her by writing to him/her c/o the school and marking your letter
“confidential”. The Chairman of Governors will discuss the matter with you and attempt
to resolve the problem. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of this process
you will be asked to detail your complaint in writing and it will be considered
by the Complaints Review Committee of the governing body – see above.
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