Are you unhappy?

How to complain:

a guide for MiddlePark parents and carers

Are you unhappy?

Are you worried about your child’s progress?

Are you unhappy about something else we do?

This leaflet tells you how to complain and, we hope, get your problem resolved.

If you want more information about our processes, you can get a copy of our full Complaints Policy from the School Office*.

What this process doesn’t cover

Admissions (FS2 – Year 6):Admissions are dealt with by the Royal Greenwich admissions section. The School Office* can tell you how to contact them.

Exclusions:
Between 5 and 15 days in a term:

You may ask to make representation to a panel of governors.

Permanent exclusion:

A Governors' Panel must meet to consider a permanent exclusion within 15 days. If the permanent exclusion is upheld you may appeal to an independent panel. Details from the School Office*

Special Educational Needs: For complaints about SEN provision the Royal Greenwich disputes resolution service, the Parent Partnership service and the SEN tribunal may be able to help, depending on the problem. Details from the School Office*

Statutory Complaints, for example about the teaching of the National Curriculum or RE, should be referred to the Local Authority.

The MiddleParkSchool Office*

Call in, write, phone or email for help. We’re open during school hours in term time between 8am and 4pm

Middle Park Avenue

Eltham, London

SE9 5RX

020 8850 8747

Email

Website

Getting it sorted

Talk to your child’s teacher

Most minor problems can be sorted out by your child’s teacher. They will see you immediately if they can or offer you an appointment within 3 working days. If you have any questions they can’t answer they will get back to you within 3 days or give you a date when they will give you an answer. For some problems they may refer you to another member of staff.

Talk to the Headteacher

If you aren’t satisfied or you have a complaint against a member of staff, contact the school office and ask for an appointment with the Headteacher. She will offer you an appointment within 5 days. If you have any questions that she can’t answer immediately she will get back to you within 5 days or give you a date when she will be able to give you the answers.

Contact the Chair of Governors
If you aren’t satisfied with the Headteacher’s response or you have a complaint about the Headteacher you should write to or contact the Chair of Governors Ms C. Ladbrook, c/o the School Office. You should explain your complaint and/or why you are unhappy with the school’s response. The Chair will either investigate your complaint themselves or ask another governor to investigate on their behalf. You will receive an acknowledgement and may be invited to an informal meeting. You should receive a full response within 14 days.

Ask for a complaints panel

If you still aren’t satisfied you can contact the Chair of Governors c/o the School Office or contact Governor Services at the Royal Borough of Greenwich – 0208 921 5560 - - asking for a panel of governors to consider your complaint.

This is a formal process. The School Clerk will contact you to give you details of the process.

The Panel's verdict is final. There is no appeal to the Local Authority. You will only have recourse to the Minister at the Department of Children, Schools and Families if correct procedures were not followed.

MiddleParkPrimary School
Complaints Policy Principles
  • MiddlePark aims to be a caring, positive and supportive place where young people can learn and receive education in an appropriate manner.
  • We want to listen to parents’ and carers’ views about their children’s education and well-being at school.
  • We will try to resolve parents’ and carers’ concerns and complaints as informally and quickly as possible.
  • We will take any complaints seriously and provide a thorough and appropriate response.
  • No pupil will be penalised or intimidated as a result of her/his parent making a complaint.
  • We aim to learn from any mistakes or weaknesses in order to improve further the standards of education offered at the school.
  • We have a set of clear and detailed procedures for handling complaints that is available to parents and carers who wish to pursue a complaint beyond the initial informal stages.
  • There is a leaflet which is available to all parents and carers, outlining how they should pursue any concern or complaint that they may have.
  • The school will ensure that all complaints are logged.
  • The Governing Body as a whole will not discuss individual complaints, and any governor receiving such a complaint will direct the parent to the school’s complaints leaflet and procedures.
  • The Governing Body will monitor and review the effectiveness of the policy and procedures annually by receiving a summary report of numbers and types of formal complaints together with outcomes. Individual details will not be included.
  • Complaints or appeals relating to admissions, exclusions or Special Educational Needs provision will normally be handled by separate statutory mechanisms, and we will ensure that parents and carers are informed of how such complaints can be pursued.

This leaflet was approved by the Middle Park Governing Body.

A copy of the full Middle Park Primary School Complaints Policy is available from the School Office.

January 2016