Governing bodies are required by law to have a procedure in place to deal with complaints relating to aspects of the school or the provision of facilities or certain services at the school. The procedure outlined in this document is based upon current Department for Education guidance.
A complaint can be brought by a parent of a registered child at the school or any person who has been provided with a service or a facility at the school. This document refers to this person as the complainant. The complainant must feel able to raise concerns and complaints with members of staff without formality, either in person, by telephone or in writing. At first it may be unclear whether a complainant is asking a question or expressing an opinion rather than making an education complaint. A complainant may want a preliminary discussion about an issue to help decide whether he or she wishes to take it further. A concern or unresolved problem becomes a complaint only when the complainant asserts that a school has acted wrongly in some significant decision, action or failure to take action. Even when a complaint has been made it can be resolved or withdrawn at any stage.
Schools may have a nominated member of staff with responsibility for the operation and management of the school complaints procedure. At The Sydney Russell School this nominated member of staff is the Principal.
Read the full Complaints Policy
