Parental Communication Policy

Purpose Statement

We at our school provides a good education for all our pupils, and that the management and other staff work very hard to build positive relationships with all parents. The school have procedures in place in handle all complaints by parents. The following policy sets out the procedure that the school follows in such cases.

Aims and Objectives

Our school aims to be fair, open, and honest when dealing with any complaint. We consider 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.

An effective Complaints Procedure will:
  • encourage resolution of problems by informal means wherever possible.
  • be simple to understand and use.
  • be impartial 
  • be non-adversarial 
  • allow swift handling with established time-limits for action and keeping people informed of the progress 
  • ensure a full and fair investigation by an independent person where necessary
  • respect people’s desire for confidentiality
  • address all the points at issue and provide an effective response and appropriate redress, where necessary
  • provide information to the school’s senior management team so that services can be improved
  • It is not expected that either the school or the complainant bring legal representation to a complaints committee.
  • If a complainant commences legal action against the school in relation to their complaint, the school may suspend the complaints procedures, until those legal proceedings have concluded.
Complaint Timeframe:

Complaints will be acknowledged, investigated, and resolves as soon as possible usually within 5 working days. The complainant will be notified of the anticipated timescales for dealing with the complaint when receipt of the complaint is acknowledged.

Investigating Complaints: 

It is suggested that at each stage, the person investigating the complaint makes sure that they:

  • establish what has happened so far, and who has been involved.
  •  clarify the nature of the complaint and what remains unresolved
  •  meet with the complainant or contact them (if unsure or further information is necessary)
  • clarify what the complainant feels would put things right
  • interview those involved in the matter and/or those complained of, allowing them to be accompanied if they wish
  • conduct the interview with an open mind and be prepared to persist in the questioning
  • keep notes of the interview
Resolving Complaints: 

At each stage in the procedure schools will want to keep in mind ways in which a complaint can be resolved with confidentialities for both parties. It might be sufficient to acknowledge that the complaint is valid in whole or in part. In addition, it may be appropriate to offer one or more of the following:

  • an apology.
  • an explanation
  • an admission that the situation could have been handled differently or better
  •  an assurance that the event complained of will not recur
  • an explanation of the steps that have been taken to ensure that it will not happen again
  •  an undertaking to review school policies in light of the complaint 

Complaint Chain of Command

Appendix 1: Complaint Pro Forma

Parental Issue

Pupil’s Name:_____________ Class:______________________
Parents Name:___________ Contact Cell. No.:___________
Nature of Issue:
1. Pupil 2. Class 3. School 4. Admin 5. Other

Please give concise details of your complaint, (including dates, names of witnesses etc.), to allow the matter to be fully investigated: You may continue-on a separate paper, or attach additional paperwork, if you wish.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________

Has the class teacher been contacted?                     Yes / NO         if yes, on what date? _________________________________________________________________

If no – please arrange a meeting with the class teacher: Date of meeting:  ____/____/_______

Outcome of Meeting: (Filled by teacher)

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Has the key stage principal been contacted?                     Yes / NO         if yes, on what date? ____________________________________________________________

If no – please arrange a meeting with the KS Principal:  Date of meeting:  ____/____/_______

Outcome of Meeting: (Filled by KS principal)

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Has the school principal been contacted?                     Yes / NO         if yes, on what date? ____________________________________________________________

If no – please arrange a meeting with the school Principal:  Date of meeting:  ____/____/_______

Outcome of Meeting: (Filled by school principal)

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When all the above have been completed and the situation is still ongoing, please arrange a meeting with the Corporate office via the Principal PA:    Date of meeting: ____/____/_______

Final Resolution:     
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Signed:                                                                        Date:

Appendix 2: School Complaint Procedures

Informal Stage

Step 1:
 The complainant is normally expected to communicate directly with the Teacher/staff member concerned this may be by email, Rediker or in person by an appointment. Many concerns can be resolved by simple clarification from the Teacher, staff member or by providing more information, and it is anticipated that most complaints will be resolved by this informal stage. A written record of a complaint within this stage of the procedure shall be kept for documentation.

Step 2:
  If the complaint is not resolved by meeting with the Teacher concerned, or staff member a meet with the Key Stage principal will be arranged to discuss their concern/complaint. If the complainant communicated the concern/complaint directly to the key stage principal without going through Step 1 and Step 2, the aforementioned shall review the complaint and take one of the following steps depending upon how serious they consider the complaint to be: 

Formal Stage

Step 3:
If the complaint is not resolved at the informal stage the complainant shall put the concern/complaint in writing, preferably by completing Appendix A which is available at the Reception Desk. The complainant should sign the form, include details and material facts of the complaint, names of potential witnesses, dates, and times of events, and contact details of the Complainant. 

The Principal may request a meeting with the complainant to clarify the complaint. If a meeting is convened to discuss the complaint during the investigation, Complainant is expected to attend the meeting at the time stated and have the meeting completed within the allocated time. If the Complainant cannot make the scheduled meeting, then they will need to arrange an alternative time with the school’s front Office. Minutes of meetings shall be taken at this stage. 

The Principal shall collect other evidence, as he/she deems necessary. Where this involves an interview with a any involved staff member, who is the subject of the complaint. 

When the investigation has been concluded, the complainant shall be contacted with a formal response of the outcome and action the school may be taking either by phone, email or at a face-to-face meeting as a response to the complaint.

Step 4:
If no clear solution or resolution to the problem is found at the above previous stages, the final decision on how to proceed shall rest with the School Principal who might raise the complaint to the superintendent. He/she may consult with the superintendent at this point.

Appendix 3: Parent/Staff Member Interview Form

Parent/Staff Member Meeting Form

Staff Member:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Parent of:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Reason(s) of the meeting:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________

Date:______/_______/______________

Meeting notes:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________

Further Action Points:
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