Raising a concern

Although the school works alongside parents and carers, there may come a time when you need to raise a concern.

We hope that you will be happy with everything at our school.  However, should you have reason to raise a concern or complain, it is important to know how to act.

Any worry or concern should first be raised with your child’s class teacher as soon as possible. Sometimes, small concerns grow into larger worries if left unaddressed.

Hopefully and concern is resolved quickly.  However, if there are still concerns, please follow New End’s Complaints Policy which can be found HERE.  A summary of this policy is below.

To allow for a proper investigation, complaints should be brought to the attention of the school as soon as possible. Any matter raised more than three months after the event being complained of will not be considered, save in exceptional circumstances.  An anonymous complaint will not be investigated under this procedure unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Many concerns can be resolved by simple clarification or the provision of information, or perhaps an acknowledgement that the situation could have been handled differently and steps will be taken to prevent a similar recurrence.  It is anticipated that most complaints will be resolved in this informal way.  In the case of serious concerns it may be appropriate to address them directly to the Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher.

If parents or carers have any concerns or issues, the steps listed below should be followed as part of an informal complaint:

  • Concern / issue should be raised with the member of staff concerned as soon as possible. This can be through a conversation, letter or email.
  • If a concern / issue is raised by email or letter, the member of staff will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within two working school days.
  • Once investigated, the member of staff will report back findings and action taken (of non-confidential nature) to parents either by phone, letter or in person within 10 working school days.
  • If parents feel dissatisfied, they should contact the headteacher to discuss the concern further.
  • Parents should contact the Chair of Governors if they still feel dissatisfied after the Headteacher has investigated the concern.

If all reasonable attempts at resolving a complaint informally have been unsuccessful, then the headteacher should inform the complainant that they have the option of making a formal complaint.

If parents or carers wish to make a formal complaint, the steps listed below should be followed:

  • Request, complete and submit a formal complaint form. These can be collected from the school office and returned to the headteacher.
  • An acknowledgement of receipt of the complaint will be made within two working school days.
  • The Chair of Governors will be informed of the complaint.
  • The Headteacher will collect other such evidence as deemed necessary.
  • The investigation will begin within ten working school days.
  • Once the investigation has been concluded (within twenty working school days), the complainant, and the member of staff concerned, will be informed in writing of the outcome. This letter must be completed within a further two working school days.
  • If the complainant is not satisfied with the manner in which the process has been followed, the complainant may request that the Governing Body review the process followed by the Headteacher in handling the complaint. Any such request must be made in writing within 10 working school days of receiving notice of the outcome from the Headteacher, and include a statement specifying any perceived failures to follow the procedure.
  • A panel of 3 members of the Governing Body shall conduct any review of the process followed by the Headteacher or the Chair.

In the case where the concern relates to the Headteacher, the steps for both informal and formal complaints noted above will be completed by the Chair of Governors.

Whilst ensuring that your complaint will be dealt with efficiently, the school will ensure that all staff are treated appropriately in the workplace.  Parents and carers are reminded that the following actions are not appropriate:

  • Parents raising their concerns at inappropriate times e.g. as children are being taken into the school in the morning or when teachers are ensuring that their children are being collected safely.
  • Parents using abusive or aggressive tones with staff members.
  • Parents not addressing their concerns with the relevant teacher and instead using other forums to voice their concerns e.g. with teaching assistants, class tea, NESA meetings, governing sub-committee meetings, or bypassing the teacher and voicing their grievances with senior managers or higher parties.