Grow Your Potential

Complaints Policy & Procedure

Policy Statement

GYP is committed to providing excellent customer service to everyone who is affected by its operation. We do not look at complaints as unwanted and we are firmly committed to a process of continuous improvement of which the complaints procedure is just one element.

Recognising that sometimes things go wrong, or mistakes are made, this policy outlines the procedures to follow to make a complaint and the internal procedures we follow to manage the process. This procedure will be available on our web site and will form part of the induction process for staff and trustees. A copy will be sent to anyone making a complaint. 

This Policy aims to ensure that:

• Parents/Guardians/Persons know that the GYP takes complaints seriously and will respond in a courteous and efficient manner;
• An effective procedure for making and adjudicating complaints (including appeals) from parents/guardians/persons is established;
• Parents/Guardians/Persons wishing to make a complaint knows how their complaint will be dealt with;
• There is a separate procedure for dealing with parental concerns which fall short of a formal complaint;
• All those involved in handling a complaint make every effort to resolve matters quickly, amicably and most expeditious way;
• Response to complaints will be made within a reasonable period of time, and where necessary appropriate action will be taken.
• Wherever possible, lessons are learned. 

Raising concerns informally 

Parents/guardians can raise a concern informally by contacting the relevant member of staff.  Small misunderstandings can often be put right very quickly.  We want to know about these; we want to get an acceptable solution very quickly but we also need to learn from the process.

This can be done by telephone, email or letter

In the vast majority of cases, it is anticipated that, initially at least, the relevant member of staff will be the pupil’s tutor.

Making a complaint

In serious cases, however, a formal complaint should be made in writing and referred directly to the Head of Curriculum Mr. Sadiqul Choudhury. This provision will typically apply where:

the parent/guardian/person does not believe that the matter is suitable for informal resolution

 The Tutor has failed to satisfy the person making the complaint.

Please note that complaints made anonymously will not be pursued. The Head of Curriculum will send an acknowledgement in writing with a complaint registration reference number.  Including this reference number should be used in any further correspondence.

The head of Curriculum will refer complaint to an appropriate Director for the first review, unless such a person is specifically mentioned in the complaint, in which case it will be referred to the Trustees. When the first reviewer has considered the detail of the complaint, the person raising the complaint will receive a written response detailing any proposed remedial action.  This will be done within 10 working days of complaint being lodged.  If this is not possible, the Head of Curriculum will explain this in writing. Decisions of the outcome of the complaint will also be sent to the person raising the complaint in writing and also be told in this response that they can request a second review if they are unhappy with the decision made.

  If a second review is requested, the matter will be referred to a more senior person within the management team.

Following the second review, the person raising the complaint will be provided with a written response detailing any changes to the previously proposed remedial action.  In the majority of cases the second review will be the final position of GYP. However, in this response we will also indicate if, and how, the complaint can be progressed beyond this second stage by other alternative routes which may include the police, trading standards or health and safety within a local authority. The response from the second review will explain all relevant options.

If an accusation is made that this procedure has not been followed, the matter can be raised for discussion at a Trustee meeting by contacting the Chair of Trustees. It is particularly important that the parents/guardians state as clearly and fully as possible the reasons why they wish the Trustee team to hear a complaint. Upon receipt of a request for a panel hearing, the chair of Trustee will convene a panel to hear the complaint within 10 working days of receiving the complaint. The panel meeting will not consider the substantive matter because this may invalidate the process. Details regarding the panel can be found further below.

 If at any stage the person making the complaint wants to stop a complaint from being progressed, the customer can do so in writing or email to the Head of Curriculum. GYP reserves the right to continue to investigate serious complaints in these circumstances.

Parents/ guardians should note that, where the Head of Curriculum is the subject of the complaint, a separate procedure applies, details of which can be found below.

Investigating Complaints

As soon as possible after the complaint has been lodged, a senior member of staff appointed by the Head of Curriculum will contact the parents/guardian concerned. The purpose of this contact is to make initial response and to explain how the provision intends to investigate the matter, how long the investigation is likely to take and when to expect a response. Where in the course of an investigation it becomes clear that this date is likely to be exceeded, the parent/guardian will be informed of a new response date.

At the end of the investigation, the parent/ guardian will be informed in writing of the outcome. This will include the conclusion reached, the reasons for it and any action taken or proposed.

It is our policy that complaints made by parents/guardians will not adversely affect their child’s interests.

Integrity

During the process of dealing with a complaint we will be as open and transparent as possible.  People raising complaints will be given full information about the progress of their complaint except in the cases mentioned below.

If the complaint involves questions about the actions or competencies of individual members of staff or Managers.

Other processes may subsume the complaints procedure and the Centre may not be able to provide the person raising the complaint with all the relevant information.  (For instance, employment legislation may prevent publication of the results of disciplinary processes)

The legal requirements of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (Whistleblowers) may restrict the information that can be provided to persons raising complaints.

If any of these situations occurs the management will provide an explanation without disclosing any restricted information. To ensure confidentiality, information about the progress of a complaint will only be provided to the person making the complaint.

Confidentiality

Any complaint or concern, viewpoint, etc. raised by parents/ guardians will be treated as confidential. Knowledge of the complaint will be restricted to those who, for various reasons, need to know about it. This will include the Head of Curriculum, the member(s) of staff investigating the complaint and any other member of staff otherwise involved. In addition, there are circumstances where the Trustee team may be informed.

On occasion, however, it may be necessary to inform third parties of the complaint and, possibly, the identities of those involved. The most obvious example of this is where an investigation suggests that a criminal offence has taken place. In such circumstances, we would cease our investigation and refer the matter to the relevant external agencies.

Written records

In order to comply with school’s obligations under Education Regulations 2003 (as amended), a written record will be kept of all complaints, including information as to whether or not they proceed to a formal hearing. The written record will also include all correspondence and statements gathered in the course of an investigation.

Written records will be treated as confidential and processed in accordance with our data protection policy. The exception to this is where the Secretary of State or a body investigating under s. 162A of the Education Act 2002 (as amended), requests access to them.

The trustee team will receive a report with a record of the number of complaints made under the formal procedure for every academic year, the general nature of the problem and a list of remedial actions that have been taken. This will be available on request to parents/ guardians and OFSTED.

Disciplinary action taken against staff

It may be the case that, as a result of a complaint made by a parent/guardian, disciplinary action may be taken against a member of staff employed at GYP

Where this occurs, any such action will be taken in accordance with the official staff Discipline and Dismissal Policy and handled confidentially within the Centre.

The Panel

The panel formed will consist of at least three people. Parents will be notified of the names of the panel members. None of the panel members will have been directly involved either in the matters detailed in the complaint or its investigation and adjudication prior to this point. Further, at least one will be independent of the management and running of the provision.

The panel will have access to all relevant documentations. The parents/guardians will be invited to attend the panel hearing. They will also be invited to produce documentation to be circulated in advance to panel members. In addition, the parents/ guardians will be invited to bring a friend or a relative, not a legal representative to the panel hearing.

The panel will make the final decision in respect of the complaint. It may, if it so chooses, also attach recommendations to its findings. The panel’s findings and recommendations will be emailed or otherwise sent to the parent/guardian making the complaint within five working days from the date of the hearing. Where relevant a copy will be sent to the person complained against. A copy of the panel’s findings and recommendations will be kept on file in the Head of Curriculum’s office, where it can be inspected by our trustee’s.

Complaints against the Head of Curriculum

Where the Head of Curriculum is the subject of the complaint, the matter should be referred directly and in writing to the trustees. The trustees will then contact the parents/guardians in order to explain how the complaint will be investigated, how long an investigation is likely to take and when they might expect a final response.

Where the Trustees believes that the complaint merits it, they will appoint a person to investigate the complaint and report his/ her findings to them. After considering this report, the Trustee team will then write to the parents/ guardians within five working days. This letter will include the conclusion reached, the reasons for it and any action taken or proposed.

If the parents/guardians are dissatisfied with this response, they should write to the chair of Trustee to request that the matter be referred to a panel hearing. The composition of the panel, its purpose and procedure are set out above.

Address to send to chair of Trustees

David Ramsay