Complaint - Academy/School

Stage 1: Informal 

Concerns should be raised in the first instance with the relevant member of staff (Class Teacher, Head of Year/Key Stage, or member of the Senior Leadership Team) or an appropriate member of staff according to the matter concerned. This may be by letter, email, telephone or requesting a meeting via the Academy office. If the member of staff is unable to deal with the concern immediately, a note will be taken of the details and the Complainant will be contacted as soon as the matter has been investigated. If a concern is raised with a member of staff who feels they are not the best person to deal with it, the matter will be referred to the Principal for them to determine the best person to deal with the matter. This does not escalate the stage of this policy the matter is being dealt with.

Concerns will wherever possible be acknowledged within 5 school days and the Complainant will receive a response to their concern within 15 school days from the date of acknowledgement. If it is not possible to meet this deadline the person who has raised the concern will be informed of when a response will be made. In the event that the investigating officer/Principal decides not to meet the complainant, or in the event that the complainant has not confirmed within 5 working days, the full 30 school days from the acknowledgement applies to the response.

Stage 2: Formal Complaint

If a Parent/Carer/student or member of the public feels that their concern has not been resolved or it is of sufficient magnitude that an informal resolution is unlikely they may raise a Formal Complaint under this policy.

The Complainant must put the complaint in writing to the Principal using the Trust’s Complaint Reporting Form, unless the Complainant has a disability, learning difficulty, or difficulties with the English language, in which case the Complainant may contact the Academy for assistance.

When completing the Complaint Reporting Form, the Complainant should provide as much detail as possible about the matter including dates and times of events, potential witnesses, copies of any relevant documents, and a clear indication of the action(s) they seek to resolve the complaint.

Once received, the Principal should immediately forward a copy of the Complaint Reporting Form to the Chief Finance and Operations Officer who will oversee the progress of the complaint and provide advice and guidance as needed.

The Principal will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within 5 school days and pass the complaint to a nominated senior member of staff (“the Investigating Officer”), as appropriate for investigation. The acknowledgement of receipt of the complaint will identify the Investigating Officer.

In the event that the interviews with children need to take place, where the investigation is completed by a member of the Trust staff, the member of staff may interview them alone (with door open) or with another member of Trust staff. In the event that this is not a member of Trust staff, the school will ensure that a member of staff is present or that the school obtains parent consent. Trust staff includes those across the Trust and working centrally. Advice may be taken as to the approach with a member of school leadership, trust leadership, HR, or the LADO with consideration of any conflicts of interest.

The timeframe that would apply is as follows:

Acknowledgement	5 school days from receipt of complaint (form)
Meeting / Parent	15 school days from acknowledgement
Formal response	30 school days from acknowledgement