KING’S COLLEGE, MURCIA - COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE, INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

  1. Complaints made to the school will be listened to and acted upon.
  2. Complaints will be investigated thoroughly, fairly and promptly.
  3. Complaints should be made in the first instance to the class teacher or form tutor.  If these are not resolved to the satisfaction of the parent concerned, the complaint should be passed up to a senior member of staff or the headmaster. A senior member of staff will acknowledge any complaint made by parents with within, at the latest, 5 working days, and a formal response to the complaint will be made within at least 5 days following this acknowledgement
  4. Complaints made by students will normally be dealt with by their Form Tutor/Class teacher, or by the Head of Primary or Secondary.
  5. When the complaint is directed at a senior member of staff, the Head Teacher will deal with the matter.
  6. Complainants will not suffer as a result of a complaint.

Complaints Procedure

Stage 1 – Informal

Most complaints are easily resolved informally by discussion with staff at the school; more difficult or complex concerns may take more than one discussion.

Procedure for initial contact by office staff or a member of staff:
  1. Listen to, and record, in writing, basic details of complaint.
  2. Decide upon the appropriate person to pass information on to or who should deal with the complaint.
  3. An appropriate member of staff interviews complainant or makes telephone contact.
  4. Complaint listened to and details recorded.
  5. Member of staff decides upon action to be taken – who needs to be seen, what information is required, possible further interviews, decision on urgency of action and timescale to work to:

Action to be taken:   
  1. Speak to those involved in complaint
  2. Speak to witnesses if required
  3. Take written statements if required

If possible, collect sufficient evidence to make an objective decision about the complaint.

Is the matter concluded?

If yes, agree action, communicate with complainant.

If no, refer to a Senior member of Staff

If the complaint can not be resolved at this stage, the parent should be informed how to move on to the formal stage of the complaints procedure by making a written complaint to the Head of Early Years, Head of Primary, Head of Secondary or Head Teacher.

NOTE: Normally speaking a second member of staff should be present when a complaint is being made.  This is to ensure that there is a designated listener and a separate minute taker.  

Stage 2 – Formal

The Head Teacher will carry out an investigation and respond to the complainant.

The complaint will be acknowledged within, at the latest, 5 working days of receipt, and a target date for providing a formal response will be given. This will normally be within at least 5 working days following acknowledgement.

When all the relevant facts have been established, the Head Teacher may either call a meeting with the complainant and provide a verbal response, or produce a written response to the complainant, as considered appropriate.

January 2011