Definitions

Department for Education (DfE) guidance explains the difference between a concern and a complaint: 

• A concern may be defined as “an expression of worry or doubt over an issue considered to be important for which reassurances are sought”

• A complaint may be defined as “an expression or statement of dissatisfaction, however made, about actions taken or a lack of action”

In most cases, a concern can be resolved through informal means. A complaint will follow formal procedures.

Any person, including members of the public, may make a complaint to the school about any provision of facilities or services that are provided.

The complainant must raise the complaint within 3 months of the incident. If the complaint is about a series of related incidents, they must raise the complaint within 3 months of the last incident. 

When complaints are made outside of term time, they will be deemed to have been received on the first school day after the holiday period. 

If at any point we cannot meet the timescales we have set out in our policy, we will: 

•   Set new time limits 

•   Send the complainant details of the new deadline and explain the delay

Our school will take informal concerns seriously and make every effort to resolve the matter quickly. It may be the case that the provision or clarification of information will resolve the issue.

The concern should be addressed to the relevant member of school staff or the headteacher, either in person or by letter, telephone or email. Concerns can also be raised by a third party acting on behalf of the complainant, if they have the complainant’s consent to do so. 

If the complainant is unclear about who to contact or how to contact them, they should contact the school office.

The school will acknowledge informal concerns within 5 school days, which will confirm how the school intends to proceed, including an indication of the anticipated timescale. 

The informal stage will involve a meeting between the complainant and the headteacher and/or the subject of the concern, if appropriate. A written response will be provided by the school within 5 school days following the informal meeting.

If the concern is not resolved informally, it will be escalated to a formal complaint.

Complaints that involve or are about the headteacher, chair of governors or any individual governors should be addressed to the clerk to the governing board via the school office, marked private and confidential.

Please refer to the Complaints policy for full details /page/?title=Policies&pid=532