This policy applies to the Whole School, including the Early Years Foundation Stage Setting.

The School has a complaints procedure as outlined below for all parents, staff and pupils.  The school aims to resolve complaints either to the complainant’s satisfaction, or with an otherwise appropriate outcome which balances the rights and duties of pupils.  Pupils are not penalised for making a complaint in good faith.

The complaints procedure is implemented in the following circumstances:

·      If all the normal procedures for raising and resolving a concern have failed to produce a satisfactory outcome.

Prior to instituting the complaints procedure, every effort should have been made by the school to resolve a concern at the tutor/teacher level, the Senior Management level and through the Head.

In such circumstances, the Head will offer to refer the matter to the Chairman of Governors or you may wish to write directly to the Chairman of Governors.

or

·      If the concern relates to the Head and the parent feels unable to raise it with the Head.

In such circumstances, you may wish to write directly to the Chairman of Governors.

In either of the above cases, the stages are as follows:

1   The Chairman of Governors should acknowledge the complaint orally or in writing within three working days of receipt, call for a full report from the Headmaster, to be received within five working days, and examine matters thoroughly before responding within five working days of receipt of the Headmaster’s report.

2   This response may result in a positive solution but if it does not, the Chairman will invite you to a meeting to be held within ten working days. You may wish to be supported by a friend but legal representation is not appropriate at this stage.

3   If the meeting does not bring about a resolution, the matter will be referred to the Complaints Panel, whose task it will be to consider the matter in an impartial and confidential manner. To this end, the panel will consist of three members who have had no prior involvement with the complaint, including one person who is independent of the management and running of the school.

·      The panel will invite you to attend a meeting, to be held within ten working days, to which, as with the Chairman’s meeting, you are invited to bring a friend. You will also be invited to submit any further written evidence.

·      The Head will likewise be invited to the meeting and asked to provide any relevant documentation.

·      All relevant documents will be received by all parties in good time for them to be read prior to the meeting and at least two working days in advance of the meeting.

·      At the conclusion of the representations and questions, all except the Complaints Panel will withdraw and the panel will consider the evidence. This will include: a judgement about the validity of the complaint; appropriate action to be taken by the school and/or the parent; and, where appropriate, recommendations with regard to changes to the school’s systems or procedures to prevent similar problems arising in the future.

·      The parent/s, the Head and the Governing body will then be informed of the Complaints Panel’s judgement.

·      A written record of the complaint and its outcome will be kept for regular review by the Head, as well as a record of whether the complaint was resolved at the preliminary stages or proceeded to a panel hearing.  Complaints relating to our Kindergarten (Early Years Foundation Stage) will be kept for at least three years.

·      All correspondence, statements and records relating to individual complaints will be kept confidential except where the Secretary of State or a body conducting an inspection under 162A of the 2002 Act, as amended, requests access to them.

Boarders and their parents are advised that they are also able to contact Ofsted or the Local Authority Designated Officer if their complaint concerns boarding welfare:

Ofsted (i/c of Boarding House Inspections)

Royal Exchange Buildings

St Ann's Square

Manchester M2 7LA

Tel: 08456 404040

Email: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk

Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)

LADO Unit telephone: 01223 727967

LADO Unit fax: 01223 475942

LADO Unit Email: LADO@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Parents of children in the Kindergarten (the Early Years Foundation Stage) are advised that they are also able to make a complaint to Ofsted and/or the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) should they so wish:

April 2013