Click here for the Complaints procedures

Complaints Procedure

               Introduction

Every day, here at Storth CE Primary School, we (the school) make many decisions and we work hard to act in the best interests of all pupils.  Your comments, whether positive or negative, help us to understand how we are doing and to plan for the future.

We know that sometimes our decisions may not provide the outcomes that everyone wants. We also know that sometimes we will make mistakes. You may want to talk to us about a particular aspect of school life that affects you or your child, but not actually make a complaint – you may just want to get something ‘off your chest’.  If you are dissatisfied or have questions about the way you or your child is being treated, or any actions or lack of action by us, please do not hesitate to contact us using the contact details on the front of this document.

We aim to resolve all complaints at the earliest possible stage and when the complaint is from a parent or carer about their child’s school life, we will be dedicated to continuing to provide the highest quality of education possible throughout the process.

If other bodies are investigating aspects of a complaint, for example the Police, Local Authority (LA) safeguarding teams or Tribunals, this may impact on our ability to adhere to the timescales in this procedure or may result in the procedure being suspended until those public bodies have completed their investigations.

If anyone involved in a complaint commences legal action against this school in relation to the complaint, we will consider whether to suspend the complaints procedure in relation to their complaint until those legal proceedings have concluded.

Once a complaint has been made, it can be resolved or withdrawn at any stage.

1.1           Who can make a complaint?

This complaints procedure is not limited to the parents or carers of children that are registered at this school.  Any person, including members of the public, can make a complaint to us about any of the facilities or services that we provide.

A person making a complaint is known as a complainant.  Complaints can also be made by a third party acting on behalf of a complainant if they have appropriate consent to do so.  When these procedures refer to “you”, we mean the complainant if we are dealing with a third party.

Unless complaints are dealt with under separate statutory procedures (such as appeals relating to exclusions or admissions), or when school is not the appropriate organisation to complain to (such as when the complaint is against a group hiring our premises), we will use this complaints procedure.

To ensure your complaint is handled quickly and in the most appropriate way, please check Appendix A: before making it to see if what you want to complain about is listed under ‘complaints not handled under this procedure’.  It explains who to complain to instead.

1.2           Anonymous complaints

We will not normally investigate anonymous complaints.

1.3           Time scales

You must raise your complaint within three months of the incident or, where a series of associated incidents have occurred, within three months of the last of these incidents.  We will consider complaints made outside of this timeframe if exceptional circumstances apply.

1.4           Complaints received outside of term time

We will consider complaints made outside of term time to have been received on the first school day after the holiday period.  Please see our term dates as published on our website www.storth.cumbria.sch.uk

 

           How to raise a concern or make a complaint

 

2.1           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 of dissatisfaction however made, about actions taken or a lack of action’.

We encourage anyone with concerns or complaints to bring them to our attention directly and as soon as possible.  We appreciate all feedback and suggestions to help us plan for the future and we welcome any opportunity to provide reassurance about what we do and why.

It is in everyone’s interest that concerns and complaints are resolved at the earliest possible stage.  We have a three-step complaints process to help us do this, starting with the Informal Stage and progressing to the two-stage Formal process.

2.2           Our aims when resolving complaints

At every stage in our procedures, we want to resolve the complaint.  We aim to handle it:

  • politely, and with honesty and professionalism,
  • in complete confidence,
  • transparently, fairly, and thoroughly, and
  • more quickly if it is urgent.

Following our investigation, we may not uphold your complaint, or we may uphold it wholly or only partly.  We will offer you one or more of the following as an outcome:

  • an explanation of why we did or did not uphold all or part of your complaint,
  • an apology if we have made mistakes,
  • an explanation of the steps that have been or will be taken to help ensure that what you complained about will not happen again and an indication of the timescales within which any changes will be made,
  • an undertaking to review school policies in light of the complaint.

2.3           Our expectations when resolving complaints

Every concern or complaint raised must be:

  • genuine, reasonable, and not vexatious (unreasonable or repeated), and
  • drawn to our attention politely and in a reasonable way without using offensive, abusive, or threatening language or behaviour

Please see section 8 for how we handle complaints which do not meet these expectations.

2.4           Maintaining Governor Impartiality

Except as directed below (where your complaint is about the Head teacher or a member of the Governing Body or where your complaint has already been escalated to the Formal Complaints – Stage One ) you should not raise your concern or complaint with individual Governors.

If your first contact about your complaint is with a Governor, he or she will ask you not to explain and will instead refer you to an appropriate member of staff or the Head teacher. They are not unwilling to help nor are they dismissing your concerns.  A Governor has no power to act alone and will need to remain impartial because they may be required to sit in a meeting to formally hear your complaint if you take Step Three and progress it to the Formal Complaints – Stage Two .

2.5           Withdrawal of a Complaint

If you want to withdraw your complaint, we will ask you to confirm this in writing. 

Please click the link at the top of the page for the full document.