Egham Park School is committed to safeguarding the welfare of all children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
| Date Created | Date 1st Review Due | Date Reviewed | Version | Next Review Due |
| November 2022 | November 2023 | 1 | ||
| November 2023 | 2 | November 2024 | ||
| May 2024 | 3 | May 2025 | ||
| May 2025 | 4 | May 2026 | ||
| April 2026 | 5 | April 2027 |
Complaints Received at Formal Stage in 2021/2022 = 0
Complaints Received at Formal Stage in 2022/2023 = 0
Complaints Received at Formal Stage in 2023/2024 = 0
Complaints Received at Formal Stage in 2024/2025 = 0
Complaints Received at Formal Stage in 2025/2026 = 0
Complaints Procedure
Complaints Procedure
This policy applies to all students who are on role at the school. It does not apply to prospective students or those who have left the school unless the complaint was lodged during the time when the student was registered at the school. This complaints policy and procedure is available to parents on the school website or as a hard copy directly from the school.
The primary purpose of this policy is that it deals with complaints. A complaint is defined as any matter about which a parent expresses dissatisfaction with a real or perceived problem and seeks action by the school.
Introduction
At Egham Park we hope that students and parents are always happy and that
they know they can speak to members of staff at any time with concerns that they may have.
However, if parents do have a concern or complaint, they can expect that it will be dealt with sensitively, fairly and in a timely manner as detailed below.
The school’s aim is to resolve every concern or complaint informally, where possible. If a matter cannot be resolved informally, the matter may proceed as a formal complaint.
Please note that any complaints made do not lead to any form of reprisals for the complainee.
Stage 1 – Informal Resolution
If parents have a complaint or concern, they should normally contact their child’s Key Worker initially. It is hoped that the matter will be resolved informally at this stage. Staff may need to consult with others in order that they can resolve matters effectively and to the satisfaction of the parents. If this is the case, they will get back to parents within 5 working days. If a complaint or concern is received during in period in which the school is closed, the first working day after the closure will count as the day on which it has been received.
Complaints made directly to the Headteacher will usually be referred to the relevant Key Worker unless the Head deems it appropriate to deal with the matter personally.
If the complaint is against the Headteacher, parents should address their complaint to the Proprietor and proceed through the three stage Complaints Procedure as necessary.
A written record of all concerns and complaints including the date which they were received on will be held by the school.
Should the matter not be resolved within 10 working days or as soon as reasonably practicable following periods of school closure, or where parents are not satisfied with the response to the complaint raised informally, parents may proceed with a formal complaint in accordance with Stage 2 of this procedure.
Stage 2 – Formal Resolution
If complaint cannot be resolved on an informal basis, then parents may put their complaint in writing to the Headteacher, making sure that they include the term ‘Formal Complaint’ in their letter or email. The Headteacher will decide, after considering the complaint, the appropriate course of action to take
In most cases, the Headteacher will either meet with or speak to the parents concerned, normally within 10 working days of receiving the complaint or as soon as reasonably practicable during periods of school closure, to discuss the matter. If possible, a resolution will be reached at this stage.
A senior member of staff delegated by the Headteacher may investigate all written complaints.
Once the Headteacher is satisfied that, so far as it practicable, all of the relevant facts have been established, a decision will be made. The parents will be informed of this decision in writing together with the reasons for the decision as soon as reasonably practicable (and normally within 5 working days of receipt of the written complaint, where possible.
Written records of all meetings and interviews held in relation to the complaint will be kept by the school. Correspondence, statements and records will be kept confidential except in so far as is required of the Regulatory Requirements of the Independent School Standards, where disclosure is required during the school’s inspection, or where any other legal obligation prevails.
If parents are not satisfied with the outcome, they should proceed to Stage 3. If the complaint relates to the exclusion of a child, the Headteacher may temporarily exclude the child pending the outcome of the complaint procedure.
Stage 3 – Panel Hearing
If parents seek to evoke Stage 3, they must write to the Proprietor setting out in full the details of the complaint normally within 10 working days of receiving the Headteacher’s decision, or immediately if the complaint is against the Headteacher.
Parents’ letters should give full details of the complaint and enclose all relevant supporting documents. A request for a hearing will normally only be considered if parents have invoked Stage 1 and 2, however if the complaint is against the Headteacher, parents reserve the right to invoke Stage 3 immediately.
The matter will then be referred to the Complaints Panel for consideration. The Panel will consist of at least three persons not directly involved in the matters detailed in the complaint, one of whom shall be independent of the management and running of the school. Each of the Panel members shall be appointed by the Proprietor. The Proprietor, on behalf of the Panel, will then acknowledge the complaint and schedule a hearing to take place as soon as practicable and normally within 10 working days of receiving the complaint or as soon as reasonably practicable during periods of school closure.
Parents may be accompanied to the hearing in they wish by one other person. This may be a relative, teacher or friend. Legal representation would not normally be appropriate.
The Panel will review the Headteacher’s decision. The Panel will not consider any new complaints that have not been raised as part of the initial complaint. After due consideration of all facts the Panel considers relevant, the Panel will reach a decision on the balance of probabilities as to whether the complaint is upheld. If the complaint is not upheld, the Panel will dismiss the complaint. If the complaint is upheld, the Panel will make recommendations. The Panel will write to the parents informing them of its decision and the reasons for it normally within 10 working days of the panel hearing.
If the Panel deems it necessary, the Proprietor will arrange for the complaint to be further investigated. The Proprietor will inform the parents on the day after the panel hearing a revised response date will be set.
If for any reason the Panel is unavoidably adjourned and reconvened, the Proprietor will inform the parents that day or no later than the day after the scheduled panel hearing, giving reasons for the adjournment and a new date for the panel hearing will be set.
The decision of the Panel will be final. The Panel’s findings and, if any, recommendations will be sent by e-mail or otherwise confirmed in writing to the parents, The Headteacher, the Proprietor and, where relevant, the person complained of. The Panel’s decisions, findings and any recommendations will also be made available for Inspection on the school premises.
In the unfortunate even that parents are not satisfied with the Panel’s decision, they will be advised that their final recourse should be with:
The Secretary of State for Education
Department for Education
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD
Unreasonable or vexatious complaints
Egham Park School is committed to ensuring that all complaints are dealt with fairly and impartially, providing our families with an excellent standard of care. However, we will always protect our staff from unacceptable behaviour from complainants. This might include behaviour which is threatening, abusive offensive or vexatious. Should a complaint demonstrate aggression or violence to the school the police will be contacted immediately.
If a parent conducts themselves in an unacceptable manner which hinders our consideration of the complaint, due to frequency or nature of the complainant’s contact with the school, we will consider this ‘unreasonable’. This behaviour may include:
- Refusing to articulate their complaint, or specify the grounds of the complaint, or the outcomes sought by raising the complaint, even with the assistance from the school.
- Refusing to cooperate with the complaint’s investigation process.
- Refusing to accept that certain issues are not within the scope of the complaint’s procedure.
- Insisting on the complaint being dealt with in a way that does not comply with the complaint’s procedure.
- Introducing trivial or irrelevant information not pertinent to the issue.
- Asking a significant number of unimportant questions unrelated to the matter which they want responses to outside of the allotted complaint timescale and seeks and unrealistic outcome.
- Unjustified complaints regarding staff and asking them to be removed from contact with their child.
- Altering the nature of the complaint during the process.
- Repeating the same complaint despite previous investigations outcomes reflecting it was not upheld.
- Refusing to accept the findings of the investigation where the process has been fully implemented.
- Becoming vexatious or making excessive demands on the school via frequent communication.
- Publishing unacceptable information on social media or other public platforms.
The Headteacher will always discuss the issues with the complainant before considering it as ‘unreasonable’. If a complaint is deemed unreasonable, a communication plan will be formulated and agreed upon, with a termly review.
Data Protection Complaints
Where a parental complaint is also governed by the provisions relating to complaints from data subjects under section 164A of the Data Protection Act 2018, Egham Park School will ensure that this complaints procedure does not conflict with its obligations under data protection legislation. The school will facilitate the making of such complaints, acknowledge complaints within 30 days, take appropriate steps to investigate complaints without undue delay, and communicate the outcome promptly. Where a complaint raises both general concerns under this policy and a data protection complaint, the school will ensure that the relevant requirements are addressed appropriately and that the rights of the data subject are protected throughout the process.
Stopping responding
The school may stop responding to the complainant when all these factors are met:
- The school believes that they have taken all reasonable steps to help address their concerns.
- They have provided a clear statement of their position and their options.
- The complainant contacts the school repeatedly, and the school believes their intention is to cause disruption or inconvenience.
When the school stops responding, they will inform the individual that they intend to do so. The school will also explain that they will still consider any new complaints made.
Recording Complaints
A written record (which will be kept for at least three years) will be kept of all complaints in a Complaints File and whether they are resolved at the preliminary stage (Stage 2) or proceeded to a Panel Hearing (Stage 3). The proprietor will review the record of formal complaints at least annually.
If the complaint is of a safeguarding nature, the record will be kept indefinitely.
In addition, a separate log of all informal complaints will be kept on site. This will be reviewed periodically by the Headteacher and SLT to identify patterns and trends.
Parents can be assured that all concerns and complaints will be treated seriously and confidentially. Correspondence, statements and records will be kept confidential except in so far as is required of the school by paragraph 25(k) of the Education (Independent Schools Standards) Regulations 2010 where disclosure is required during the school’s inspection, or where any other legal obligation prevails.
The school will provide ISI, upon request, with a written record of all complaints made during any specified period and the action taken and conclusion reached.
This policy will be reviewed and agreed by the Senior Leadership Team and The Advisory Board.