Unfortunately, there may be times when you are unhappy with something that has happened at school and you want to talk to someone about it.
What to do first
Most concerns and complaints can be sorted out quickly by speaking with your child's class teacher. All staff will make every effort to resolve your problem informally.
They will make sure that they understand what you feel went wrong, and they will explain their own actions to you. They will ask what you would like the school to do to put things right.
Of course, this does not mean that in every case they will come round to your point of view but it will help both you and the school to understand both sides of the question. It may also help to prevent a similar problem arising again.
What to do next
If you are dissatisfied with the teacher's response you can make a complaint to the Head Teacher. This could be made in writing or by making an appointment to discuss the problem.
You may find it helpful at this stage to have a copy of the full statement of the School Complaints Procedure as this explains in detail what procedures are followed. This is available from the School.
The Head Teacher will ask to meet you for a discussion of the problem. You may take a friend or someone else with you if you wish. They will conduct a full investigation of the complaint and may interview any members of staff or pupils involved. You will then receive a written response to your complaint which you may wish to discuss with them.
If you are still not satisfied, you may wish to contact the Chair of Governors and request that they look again at your complaint and the Head Teacher's response. The Chair of Governors will seek to clarify your concerns and undertake their own independent investigation. You will then receive a written response to your complaint.
Further Action
Should you remain dissatisfied with the response from the Chair of Governors, you can ask for your complaint to be referred to a Governing Body Complaints Review Panel.
This will comprise a group of 3 governors from the school who, as far as is possible, have no previous knowledge of the problem and who will therefore be able to give it fresh assessment.
You will be invited to attend a meeting and speak to the Panel in person. The full School Complaints procedure (available from the school office) explains how these meetings operate.