1 LEGISLATION

Section 29 of the Education Act 2002 requires every maintained school to establish a procedure for dealing with complaints relating to the school and to publicise the procedure.

Section 39 of the Education Act 2002 defines a maintained school as being a community, foundation or voluntary school, a community or foundation special school or a maintained nursery school (a nursery school which is maintained by a local education authority and is not a special school).

This document sets out the complaints procedure for Reader School.

2 GENERAL PRINCIPLES

2.1 Reader School adopts a three stage process for dealing with formal complaints. Further details of each stage together with roles and responsibilities of staff involved can be found in Section 3 of this document. The three stages are:

• Stage 1 – complaint heard by member of staff
• Stage 2 – complaint heard by Board of directors
• Stage 3 – complaint heard by Governing Bodies complaint appeal panel

2.2 We will make every effort to resolve a complaint informally in the first instance, without the need to invoke the formal complaints procedure. In most cases this can be achieved by a discussion between the course teacher and the complainant.

2.3 Reader School have nominated a member of staff to be the school’s ‘complaints co-ordinator’ this is the school designated person. The complaints co-ordinator will be responsible for the following:

• Acknowledging receipt of the complaint
• Effective recording of all complaints received
• Monitoring responses
• Ensuring responses are made within a reasonable timescale
• Identify trends and themes arising from complaints and report same to school’s senior management team

Reader School have an easily accessible complaints procedure. This procedure will:

• Encourage informal resolution
• Be easily accessible, publicised and included on the school web site
• Be simple to understand and use
• Be impartial and non-adversarial
• Allow swift handling and establish timescales for dealing with the complaint
• Ensure a full and fair investigation by an independent person if necessary
• Maintain confidentiality of all involved
• Address all points of complaint, provide an effective response and offer appropriate redress where appropriate
• Provide information to the school’s senior management team so that services can be improved

Investigating Complaints

2.5 The person investigating the complaint will ensure they:

• Establish what has happened to date and who has been involved
• Clarify the nature of the complaint and what remains unresolved
• Meet with the complainant or contact them to verify information provided or gain further information
• Clarify what the complainant feels would resolve issues – establish desired outcomes
• Interview those subject of, and involved in, the complaint (interviewees may be accompanied if they so wish)
• Conduct the interview with an open mind and be prepared to persist in the questioning
• Keep notes of all interviews

Resolving complaints

2.6 Reader School will use the following responses in an attempt to resolve a complaint if appropriate:

• An acknowledgement that the complaint was justified – this can include an outcome of upheld or partially upheld. Please note that unjustified complaint outcomes will be not upheld or unable to substantiate
• An apology
• An explanation
• An admission that the situation could have been handled better or differently
• An assurance that the reason for the complaint will not recur
• An explanation of the steps taken to ensure there will be no recurrence
• An undertaking to review a school policy or procedure as a result of the outcome of a complaint.

Troublous complaints

2.7 This Policy should reduce the number of complaints that become protracted or troublous. If a complainant tries to reopen the same issue the Chair of the Management Committee will write to the complainant explaining that the complaint has been through all stages of the procedure, is now exhausted and the matter is now closed.

Time Scales

2.8 Complaints will be acknowledged, investigated and resolves as soon as possible. The complainant will be notified of the anticipated timescales for dealing with the complaint when receipt of the complaint is acknowledged.

3 FORMAL COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

3.1 Reader School adopts a three stage procedure for dealing with complaints.

3.2 There is not a stage 4 (referral to the local education authority) The local authority may only become involved in school related complaints where the complaint involves school Educational Needs, the curriculum.

3.3 The local authority does have a Children’s Services Complaints and Feedback Manager who will be able to offer advice and guidance on how to deal with and resolve school complaints. Please note, however, that there is currently a change for this service.

Stage 1 – Complaint heard by staff member (i.e. Teacher or Subject Head)

3.4 The aim is to resolve a complaint at the earliest possible opportunity via informal resolution by way of a discussion with the course teacher or co-ordinator of subject.

3.5 If that member of staff did not feel comfortable investigating the complaint or the complaint was about that staff member then the complaints co-ordinator can ask another staff member to investigate the complaint or immediately escalate the complaint to stage 2.

Stage 2 – Complaint heard by Co-ordinator of the subject

3.6 During this stage the Co-ordinator of the subject can delegate the task of collating evidence and information relating to the complaint but the decision on any action to be taken as a result of the complaint and the response should come from the Management Committee.

Stage 3 – Complaint heard by Director Complaints Appeal Panel

3.7 The complainant needs to write to the Chair of the Director Complaints Appeal Panel giving full details of the complaint and the reason why he/she remains dissatisfied with previous attempts to resolve the complaint.

3.8 The Chair, or a nominated director, will then convene a Director Complaints Appeal Panel

3.9 Director Complaints Appeal Panel will consist of 1 to 3 governors and should not include all of the Committee. This is so impartiality may not be compromised in case a panel is then required for a disciplinary hearing against a member of staff as a result of a complaint.

3.10 One of the governors will be appointed as the Chair of the Complaints Panel. This does not necessarily have to be the Chair of the Director Committee.

4 MANAGING AND RECORDING COMPLAINTS

4.1 The complaints co-ordinator will keep a log of all complaints received as this will help to identify any recurrent trends or themes

4.2 A file will also be kept containing all written communication in relation to the complaint together with brief notes of any telephone conversations etc.

4.3 Although there is a legal requirement for each school to publicise their complaints procedure it is up to the Governing Body to decide how they 8 would like to do this. The Reader school procedure is displayed on the School website and a copy can be provided from School on request.