Compliments, Concerns & Complaints
At Gusford Primary School we strive to provide a good education for all our children. The headteacher and staff work very hard to build positive relationships with all parents and carers. However, the School is obliged to have procedures in place in case there are complaints by parents or guardians. Below we have set out the procedures that the school follows in such cases, this should be read in conjunction with the ALT complaints policy.
Compliments
These are always welcome and very encouraging to teachers and staff. The school encourages feedback or opinions from pupils and parents. In practice this dialogue is continuous, sometimes directly and also indirectly, for example, through Parents’ Evenings or surveys.
Concerns
It is natural that parents may, occasionally, be concerned about an aspect of their child's education or welfare at school. This could include issues concerning the school's approach to aspects of the curriculum, homework, behavioural problems or any other issue.
The school welcomes enquiries from parents about any matter. Teachers and staff will explain the school practices, policies, and how they affect the pupils. The vast majority of concerns will be handled by the class teacher or by the subject co-ordinator if this is more helpful. If in doubt, keep asking until you are completely satisfied as all staff are eager to help.
The usual format is to speak to the child's class teacher in the first instance, or to contact the school office to arrange an appointment to discuss your concern with the Year Group or Phase Leader. Depending on the nature of your concern you may prefer to meet with a member of our Family Engagement Team. At all times the staff will try their best to help to resolve a problem. Usually, your worry can be sorted out at this stage, however if you feel that your concern has not been adequately resolved you can make an appointment with a member of the Headship team via the school office.
If, occasionally, parents feel they must state their concern formally, this too is not a problem. The school has defined procedures for handling complaints so don't be embarrassed if you feel an issue warrants more attention.
Complaints
Initially the process for a complaint is exactly the same as for a concern, so the usual format is to speak to the child's class teacher in the first instance, or to contact the school office to arrange an appointment to discuss your complaint with the Year Group or Phase Leader. If you feel that your complaint has not been adequately resolved after this initial meeting you can make an appointment with a member of the Headship team via the school office or you can e-mail the Headteacher directly. If your complaint remains unresolved at this informal stage then a formal written complaint can be made.