Click here for our Conflict resolution process
If you have a concern or complaint
We would like you to tell us about it. We welcome any suggestions for improving our service. Be assured that no matter what you want to tell us, our support and respect for you and your child in the school will not be affected in any way. Please tell us of your concern as soon as possible. It is difficult for us to investigate an incident or problem effectively when it has happened some time ago.
What to do first...
Most concerns can be sorted out quickly by speaking with your child’s class teacher. To ensure that your information is passed to a teacher clearly we ask that you fill in a "Parental Query Sheet". (these are located in the school office on the green board. Please ask the any member of staff to pass you one.)
What to do next...
If you are dissatisfied with the teacher’s response, you can take the complaint to the Headteacher or his deputy. If you are not happy with the outcome at this stage, you must put your complaint in writing to the Headteacher. The Headteacher or designated officer will then conduct a full investigation of the complaint and may interview any members of staff or pupils involved. You may request a written response to your complaint.
If your complaint is about an action of the Headteacher personally, then you should refer it to the Department of Education and Children.
If you are still unsatisfied...
The problem will normally be solved by this stage. However, if you are still not satisfied, you may wish to contact the Department of Education, Sport and Culture. It will then be investigated by an officer, appointed by the Department who has no previous knowledge of the problem and so will be able to give it a fresh assessment. You will be invited to attend and speak to the Investigating Officer.
Further action
Complaints about school problems are almost always settled within schools, but in exceptional cases it may be required to refer the problem to an independent investigator from outside the Department, who will report to the Chief Executive Officer.
A copy of the DESC's complaints procedure can be found here can be found here
Complaints Policy and Procedure
When your child is voluntarily sharing information about school which gives you cause for concern, resist asking leading questions (with yes / no answers) which will indicate to them the answer that they think you want to hear. A child will tend to give this answer as they think it is the correct one, and they want to be right and please you. This can also lead to children learning that particular subjects or answers will get elevated levels of attention. At a young age, some children can not differentiate between positive and negative attention and can crave any form of attention. Examples of good open-ended questions are "What are you looking forward to tomorrow? What learning stuck?"
The following is taken from "Asking and Answering WH questions" and is good practice for any conversations with young children.
"Non-leading, or open-ended questions tend to start with What. Why and How questions are the most difficult as they are based on a child’s knowledge of what causes certain events to happen, they also require the student to think abstractly, relate the question to previous experiences, and problem solve.
Great open-ended questions can start with a ‘Tell me about…’. Leading or close-ended questions, on the other hand, can easily impart our own expectations onto a child".
I hope you find this information both informative and useful.