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When handling parental complaints, it’s vital to have an effective system in place- one that promotes continuous improvement, assures trust in your establishment, and places pupil wellbeing at the heart of your education setting.
Handling parental complaints is an inevitable process in any school. It's important to treat concerns with care when they arise. Considering the actions you can take to address concerns and taking the time to listen to what parents have to say can go a long way toward preventing further escalation.
Ensuring your School or Trust has a robust complaints-handling process demonstrates your commitment to resolving parental complaints. In line with DfE guidance on complaints procedures for schools and academies, there are three separate stages of the process:
1. Informal complaints - these can sometimes be nothing more than a concern or comment raised verbally with school staff, but ensuring you have an open communication approach at this stage can prevent minor issues from escalating.
2. Formal complaints - when submitted in writing, they must be investigated by a headteacher (unless the complaint is concerning them). It’s vital that you follow your investigations process thoroughly when formal complaints arise to dispel concerns and give confidence to the process you're following.
3. Complaints panel - if no resolution is found during the formal complaints process, a panel of trustees/governors will need to assess the case and decide if the appropriate actions have been conducted fairly.
Following a robust process at the previous stage should ensure that evidence can be presented clearly and effectively. However, it’s still important to be open to learning from concerns raised. This provides a good opportunity to identify ways to improve practice and refine procedures within your School or Trust.
What is required when producing an investigation report?
A strong recorded report on the complaint raised will ensure that progress is easy to track, and that, should a complaints panel be required, clear evidence on the case is available.
To produce a thorough and effective investigation report, it's good to include the following:
- Details of the complaint and the requested outcomes
- A chronological timeline of events
- Case notes that detail how the investigation was conducted
- A list of interviews conducted as part of the case
- Summaries of interviews (with statements if required)
- A thorough list of evidence
- Recommendations - these should confirm whether each element of the complaint was upheld, dismissed, or partially upheld.
Your recommendations must be based on established facts only. Do not add interpretations, as this will disrupt the impartiality of your investigation report. Your recommendations can also highlight issues that could have been handled differently. Use these as an opportunity to improve your processes.
Refine your investigation process with our best practice tips
One of the most common reasons complaints escalate is when parents feel there is no clear communication from the school throughout the process. It’s crucial to acknowledge complaints quickly and keep parents informed at every stage of the investigation to prevent further frustration and instill trust in your process.
Clear communication and timely responses are key when conducting investigations. When complaints arise:
- Acknowledge the complaint quickly and keep in touch with the parent regularly to assure them of the current investigation timeframe and the progress of their complaint.
- Check that the complaint raised doesn’t fall under the terms of a different policy. If required, redirect the parent to the right policy (e.g. admissions, whistleblowing, suspension and exclusions, staff grievance and disciplinary procedures).
- Confirm the details of the complaint and the desired outcomes. Recording this ensures the investigation stays on track and within the complaints parameters.
- Ensure the parent understands the complaints process clearly - not everyone will read the full complaints policy, so it’s important to explain the process and ensure all parties understand the stages.
- Consider who is best placed to investigate the complaint to avoid conflicts of interest.
- Decide what evidence is needed - are witness statements required? What documents will need to be produced and will interviews need to be conducted?
- Interview all parties involved, prepare relevant questions, take detailed notes and ensure all aspects of the complaint are covered.
- Document all aspects of the complaint. This will ensure that a factual process is undertaken and that you have everything required for a panel hearing if the complaint progresses to stage 3.
