Governors have the responsibility of drawing up a policy for dealing with parental complaints that are not concerned with admissions, exclusions and special educational needs, which are the subjects of separate statutory arrangements. The policy should be simple, transparent and displayed on the school website.
There is a hierarchy for dealing with grumbles.
- School staff and the headteacher handle criticism and concerns informally, in the first instance, when they are not formal complaints.
- Formal complaints are made in writing and may be complemented or clarified with oral presentations.
- A formal complaint must be investigated and handled as swiftly as possible and the complainant kept fully informed throughout all stages of the investigation, preferably in writing.
- Each complainant should receive a formal response in writing once the investigation is complete.
- If, in the course of an investigation, the governing body considers that disciplinary action should be taken against a member of staff, disciplinary proceedings must be initiated.