|

1.1         Complaints Policy

The school is required by the Independent Schools Standards Regulations 2003 to have a complaints policy.  This policy aims to allow parents’ complaints about school issues to be dealt with efficiently and sensitively and at the appropriate level.

Parents are informed of the procedures for making complaints and appealing against decisions.

The school’s policy is shown below.  Please note this policy requires that staff should make a written record of all concerns and complaints and the date on which they were received.  Such records should be added to the pupil files in the school office.

1.1.1        Complaints Policy

Hereford Cathedral School seeks to foster good relations between parents, pupils and staff and it is expected that any Complaints Procedure will be informal in its first stages.  The Parents Guide gives guidance as follows:

When parents have concerns they should always contact their child’s Tutor in the first instance.  The Tutor will, if appropriate, involve other members of staff such as the Head of House, the Head of Sixth Form, the appropriate Deputy Head, and finally the Headmaster.  Should these referrals not deal fully with the concern, parents may contact the Chairman of Governors via the Clerk to the Governors, Mr Simon Jones, who is also the Bursar.  All informal complaints should be handled within a time scale that is reasonable, and preferably within two working weeks.

Should parents not be satisfied with the way in which their complaint has been handled by this informal process, they should complain formally in writing to the Clerk to the Governors.  The complaint should be acknowledged within one week and a response made within a fortnight.  If the matter is not then resolved, Governors will convene a panel of at least three individuals not directly involved in the matters that are subject to complaint, one of whom will be independent of the management and running of the school.  A hearing will be held as soon as practicable and normally within fourteen days.  Parents will be entitled to attend, accompanied, if they wish, by one other person.  This may be a relative, teacher or friend.  Legal representation will not normally be appropriate. The findings, and recommendations, if any, will be made available in writing to the parents, the Head, the Governors, and, where relevant, the person complained of.

A written record is kept of all complaints, and of their resolutions.  Correspondence, statements and records relating to individual complaints are kept confidentially.