General principles

Battyeford school is clear about the difference between a concern and a complaint. By taking informal concerns seriously at the earliest stage, the numbers that develop into formal complaints are kept to a minimum.

The underlying principle in our school is that concerns are handled without the need for formal procedures. For example, if necessary, staff receiving the first approach try to resolve issues on the spot by discussing and even apologising, if necessary.

Formal procedures are only started after initial attempts to resolve the issue are unsuccessful and the person raising the concern remains dissatisfied and wishes to take the matter further.

The school:

• welcomes complaints as a positive means of promoting pupil/parent satisfaction

• uses complaints as a way of identifying opportunities to do things better

• listens to pupils and parents

• seeks to resolve complaints swiftly

• replies with an acknowledgement letter or telephone call, in the first instance if a complaint is sent in by

  letter to let the complainant know that we are looking into the matter

• has clear, simple to understand and use, published procedures for making complaints (schools are

  required by law to have, and to make available to parents, their complaints procedures)

• keeps complainants informed about progress

• provides redress where a complaint is found to have substance

• regularly reviews how effective the complaints procedure is