All policies drawn and adopted by Brainworks-Total Group of Schools are inclusive in nature. Our inclusivity is not limited to just our students and staff but to our parents as well. Our objective is to provide a secure, calm and welcoming environment for students and staff. We recognize that these aspirations can only be achieved by the wholehearted commitment and support of the whole school community. Occasionally, situations will occur which prevent the fulfilment of those aims and give cause for complaint. In order to bring any such occurrences to a speedy and satisfactory conclusion, the school has adopted a policy called the Complaints Procedure.
Note: It is essential to be aware that a ‘concern’ and a ‘complaint’ are fundamentally different from each other. A concern is a worry and is often an opinion on what might transpire, whereas a complaint is a formal expression of dissatisfaction towards an action or a lack of action, it is based on what has transpired.
Purpose
This procedure aims to reassure parents and others with an interest in the school that:
* Any complaint against the school will be dealt with in a fair, open and responsive way, with the aim of achieving a speedy and satisfactory resolution.
* The school recognizes that a willingness to listen to concerns/criticism and to respond positively, can lead to improvements in school practices and provision for pupils.
Pre-requisites
1. If a complaint touches upon any of the policies already laid out by the school (Child Pick-Up Policy, Homework Policy, Anti-Bullying Policy, Uniform Policy etc.) then, the said policy procedures are followed to resolve the matter.
2. Anonymous complaints will not be entertained unless it involves the security of a student.
3. A complaint when delayed, loses its efficacy. Matters raised more than 15 days after the date of the event/incident will not be considered, except under special circumstances. To allow for proper investigation, complaints should be brought to the attention of the school at the earliest.
4. The Complaints Procedure strictly caters to matters of academic nature only.
5. The school is of the opinion that all complaints and their following procedures should be handled with grace and class. Social Media slander or any other form of mud-slinging is highly discouraged.
Complaints Procedure
Stage One – Informal Stage
In most cases a problem can be resolved by contacting the Class Teacher/Subject Teacher directly involved with the problem. The initial communication may be made through a letter, or in person through an appointment. Where this action does not lead to the problem being resolved then the complaint should be dealt with through the formal stages of this procedure.
Stage Two – Formal Stage
* If the complainant is not satisfied with the response from the concerned teacher at stage 1 or if the complaint is of a serious nature, the complainant is advised to put their complaint in writing to the Head of Department (HoD).When writing to the HoD, the complainant should seek to include details that might assist the investigation, such as witnesses, dates and times of events and copies of relevant documents.
* The HoD will then be responsible for carrying out an investigation or appointing another senior member of staff to carry out the investigation and report their findings and then reach a conclusion based on the investigation. The person appointed as the Investigator should keep notes of any interviews held as part of the investigation. In order to clarify the specific details of the complaint, the nature of the complaint and any background to the complaint, the investigator may feel it necessary to meet with the complainant first. It is good practice to supply interviewees with the notes and ask them to sign the notes for accuracy.
* At the conclusion of the investigation the investigator will compile a report detailing their findings and any recommendations or actions they propose need to be considered by the HoD. Once satisfied that the investigation has been concluded and a decision on the complaint has been reached, the HoD will notify the complainant in writing of the conclusion and decision made.
* In the unlikely event, that the matter should remain unsolved then, the complaint will be addressed by the Vice-Principal or the Principal.
* Usually, all minor grievances are resolved within 24 hours of the complaint. However, depending on the nature of the complaint some issues may require at least 1-5 working days to reach a satisfactory conclusion.
