COMPLAINTS POLICY

 

RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

COMPLAINTS POLICY

 

Reviewed June 2021

Introduction

We believe that our school provides a good education for all our children, and that the headteacher and other staff work very hard to build positive relationships with all parents. However, the school is obliged to have procedures in place in case there are complaints by parents. The following policy sets out the procedure that the school follows in such cases.

If any parent is unhappy with the education that their child is receiving, or has any concern relating to the school, we encourage that person to talk to the child’s class teacher immediately.

Aims and objectives

Our school aims to be fair, open and honest when dealing with any complaint. We give careful consideration to all complaints and deal with them as swiftly as possible. We aim to resolve any complaint through dialogue and mutual understanding and, in all cases, we put the interests of the child above all other issues. We provide sufficient opportunity for any complaint to be fully discussed, and then resolved.

The complaints process

If a parent is concerned about anything to do with the education that we are providing at our school, they should, in the first instance, discuss the matter with their child’s class teacher. Most matters of concern can be dealt with in this way. All teachers work very hard to ensure that each child is happy at school, and is making good progress; they always want to know if there is a problem, so that they can take action before the problem seriously affects the child’s progress.

Where a parent feels that a situation has not been resolved through contact with the class teacher, or that their concern is of a sufficiently serious nature, they should make an appointment to discuss it with the Coordinator. The Coordinator considers any such complaint very seriously and investigates each case thoroughly. Most complaints are normally resolved at this stage.

Only if an informal complaint fails to resolve the matter should a formal complaint be filed. This complaint must be made in writing, stating the nature of the complaint and how the school has handled it so far. The headmaster must investigate and resolute within three weeks of the complaint being filed.

If any parent is still not content that the complaint has been dealt with properly, then s/he is entitled to appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel which will be constituted by an independent delegate panel.

You have the right to attend accompanied.

The Headmaster will convene a panel within ten days of the formal complaint being filed.

A written response will be sent within five working days of the Appeal’s Panel decision.

Monitoring and review

The headmaster monitors the complaints procedure, in order to ensure that all complaints are handled properly. The Administrator logs all complaints received by the school and records how they were resolved.

Headmaster takes into account any local or national decisions that affect the complaints process, and make any modifications necessary to this policy. This policy is made available to all parents, so that they can be properly informed about the complaints process.

Provisions Relating to Complaints dealt with using this Procedure

For the avoidance of doubt, no complaint may be made under this procedure in respect of matters which have already been dealt with by the Appeal’s Panel.

This procedure will not be relevant where other statutory or organisational provisions apply, for example, child protection, racial incidents or special educational provision. If concerns relate to child protection matters, the appropriate local authority procedures will be followed. 

This procedure cannot be used to deal with appeals following expulsion or removal. There is a separate procedure in place in accordance with the parent contract.

A complaint can be made by any parent (or person deemed to have parental responsibility) of a pupil registered at the school.

A complaint cannot be raised in relation to a pupil who has left the school. The child is taken off roll on the final day of the term in which they leave.

When the complaint concerns only the matter of finance such as fees in lieu which remain outstanding, the matter of the fees owed alone falls outside the scope of this procedure. The Headmaster/Director of the School remains responsible for all financial decisions.

Complaints from groups of parents linked to the leadership team and/or management style will not be heard collectively. Confidentiality must be maintained for each individual complaint.

Contact details for inspectorates: NABSS Calle de Ferraz, 85, 28008 Madrid nabss@acade.es Tel. 91 550 0123 11

All parents have the right, as a last resort, to appeal to the Secretary of State for Education, if they still feel that their complaint has not been properly addressed.