Complaints

SCHOOLS COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

Guidance for parents:

Please follow the below procedures in the correct order.  This is in accordance with our complaints policy.

1. Most complaints can be quickly resolved by talking to the teacher or member of staff concerned. To do this you can contact the school to arrange a time to meet with the person concerned and discuss the problem.
2. If you cannot resolve the matter directly with the person concerned, you should take it up with the Headteacher. Again, you can do this by contacting the school and arranging an appointment. It would be helpful if you could put your concerns in writing and let the Headteacher see them before you meet so that they are able to look into the matter and inform you of the situation at the meeting.
3. In a very small numbers of cases, the matter may not be resolved even with the involvement of the Headteacher. When this happens, the complaint should be directed to the Governing Body. In most cases, this means putting your complaint in writing to the Chair of Governors and sending it to him/her through the School. The Chair of Governors will then contact you within 15 working days.
4. If you do not discuss the matter with the Headteacher, it is not normally possible to proceed further with the official complaints procedure. In this circumstance, you should also put your complaint in writing, stating the reasons why you have not discussed it with the Headteacher, and send it to the Chair of Governors.
5. If the complaint cannot be resolved by the involvement of the Chair of Governors, you can ask for the complaint to be considered by the Governing Body’s own complaints Committee. You will then be informed in writing of the outcome within 15 working days.
6. If you are not satisfied with the process of the investigation, (not the outcome), you can make this known to the Local Authority – Chester West and Chester. However, further action can only be taken if it can be demonstrated that the agreed procedure has not been followed, or if the Governing Body has not correctly exercised its functions. Ultimately, you can complain to the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if you feel the Governing Body or the LA has not reasonably exercised its functions.