Complaints

Most concerns can be sorted out quickly by speaking with your child’s class teacher. The school secretary will be able to help you make an appointment. 

 

If you are still concerned following your meeting, you can make a formal complaint to the Headteacher, Mrs Hird. You can also contact her if you have a concern which you think is better dealt with by her rather than a class teacher.  You can arrange to meet her or you can make a complaint in writing. Should you wish to do so, you can take a friend or relative to any meeting.

 

If you decide to make a complaint in writing, Mrs Hird will contact you to discuss the problem and you will usually be invited to a meeting within five working days of you requesting a meeting. She will then conduct a full investigation of the complaint and may interview any members of staff or pupils concerned. You will receive a written response to your complaint within ten working days of any meeting or of any written complaint where you have not asked for a meeting. You will also receive an indication of what you need to do if you want to take the matter further.

If you are still not satisfied, you may wish to make a formal complaint to the governing body. 

 

You should write to the Chair of Governors of the school, Tom Cooper.  You can reach here through the school.  He will try to see if there is a way forward and will meet with you within ten working days. 

 

If he is unable to resolve the matter within ten days of your meeting, your complaint will then be heard by a committee of three governors called the Complaints Review Committee. 

 

They will have no prior knowledge of the case and will therefore be able to make a fresh, unbiased assessment. You will be invited to attend the committee meeting, accompanied by a friend or relative if you wish, and to put your side of the matter. A date will be set within ten working days of you indicating that you wish the matter to be dealt with by the Complaints Committee.

 

Kirsty Hird will also attend to give her account. 

 

You will receive a written response to your complaint within five working days of the meeting to hear the complaint, together with an indication of what you can do if you want to take the matter further, (though it is hoped that the Complaints Review Committee will have been able to find in a way that makes this unnecessary).

 

Is there any further action I can take? 

Complaints about school problems are usually settled within the school but in exceptional cases it may be possible to refer the matter to an outside body such as the Local Education Authority or the Secretary of State for Education and Skills. The Chair of the Complaints Review Committee will advise you further about this and provide you with any necessary information if you decide to follow this route.  It is very much hoped that it will have been possible to resolve complaints without resorting to this.