Complaints Procedure

This document sets out to

 

  1. Explain through what means you can put your comments or concerns to Trinity staff

 

and, in the event that you have a serious concern which could not be resolved through the means given

 

  1. The Formal Complaints procedure to be followed.

1: Expressing Comments or Concerns

The School welcomes comments – whether positive, negative or purely observational -  and suggestions made by parents and other concerned parties, and will always take seriously comments and concerns that may arise.

Concerns will always be treated as an expression of genuine dissatisfaction which require a response. That response should always be given in reasonable time, be courteous and be helpful in progressing matters towards a positive outcome.

Parents are always welcome to contact the Headmaster (hm@trinity.croydon.sch.uk) or his Deputy (jpm@trinity.croydon.sch.uk ) in order to express concerns or comments, but please see below for suggestions about who else you might contact first who could be well placed to help you.

Sometimes, parents are not sure whether a matter is ‘important' enough to raise with us. The best advice here is that a matter which is important to parents will always be important to the school. Comments and concerns help the School to reflect on, evaluate and continually improve the education it offers.

As a general rule, it is helpful to approach first the member of staff most closely concerned with the issue. This can be done by letter, by phone or by email. The latter is perhaps most likely to produce the speediest response as many teachers can be away from their office/classrooms - and hence the nearest telephone - for large parts of the day, but tend to check their school email accounts with greater frequency. Members of staff may not always be in a position to respond to an email immediately. In addition, a concern which is raised face-to-face can often be resolved quickly.

Staff can be contacted on email by using their initials (in lower case) followed by @trinity.croydon.sch.uk

Staff initials are listed in the School Diary and on the school website.

In many circumstances, the person to whom a concern is expressed will need to investigate the matter and consult with colleagues before responding in detail; a detailed response may be expected as soon as it is reasonable to do so in the circumstances. Trinity staff will normally aim to respond to your email within 48 hours of its receipt unless it is received after the school day ends on a Friday, or during a school holiday period.

Whatever form a concern is expressed in, the School will respond as soon as possible after a proper investigation has taken place.

In responding to complaints, the School recognises the importance of confidentiality and fairness, as well as the need to ensure that concerns raised by parents will not produce adverse consequences for their child.

 

Who to contact: advice for parents.
  • Where you have a complaint about a minor, day-to-day issue, the best person to contact is, usually, your child's Form Tutor.
  • If you have a more serious concern regarding your child's welfare and development, or a disciplinary matter, please contact the relevant Head of Year.
  • If your complaint is about an academic matter within one subject you should contact either the subject teacher or, if the matter is more serious, the Head of the relevant Department.
  • Likewise, please direct a complaint about an activity to the teacher responsible for it, in the first instance, or to the relevant member of staff with the oversight of that activity area, such as the Head of Sport or the Director of Music. If unsure, please contact the Director of Extra-Curricular Activities.
  • If your concern is with matters such as the structure of the curriculum or subject choices, you should contact the Director of Studies.
  • If your concern is with general pastoral care or admissions, please contact either the Head of Lower School (Junior - 3rd Year) or the Head of Upper School (4th Year - Upper Sixth).
  • If you have a concern about a serious disciplinary matter or the routine operations of the school, please contact the Deputy Headmaster.
  • In addition to the above, parents are always welcome to address serious concerns on any matter to the Headmaster or Deputy Headmaster.

We hope you will feel satisfied with the outcome, or will at least feel that your complaint was fully and fairly considered.

We will always do our best to respond in a professional, concerned and constructive manner. If you are ever dissatisfied with the response you received or feel that your concern was not handled appropriately by a member of staff, please contact the Deputy Headmaster.

 

2.  The Formal Complaints Procedure

(a) In the event you remain dissatisfied, and feel your complaint was not resolved through the means given above, you should write to the Headmaster. Your letter will be acknowledged in writing, with a copy of the Complaints Procedure enclosed. The Headmaster or his Deputy will usually speak with you within fourteen days of the receipt of your written complaint. The Headmaster will conduct a full investigation. The Headmaster and his Deputy will keep written records of any meetings and interviews held in relation to your complaint.

Once the Headmaster is satisfied that, in so far as is practicable, all the relevant facts have been established, he will write to you giving his decision and explaining the reasons for his decision.

(b) If, after this, you remain unhappy with a decision or with the way your complaint was handled, please write to the Clerk of The Whitgift Foundation, Mr M Corney at North End, Croydon, CR9 1SS.

The Clerk will convene a Complaints Panel of at least three persons none of whom will be involved in the issue under consideration and one of whom shall be independent of the running and management of the school. The Panel members will be appointed by the Chair of the Court of Governors of the Whitgift Foundation.

The Clerk will acknowledge your complaint and a hearing will then be scheduled to take place as soon as is practicable and normally within 21 days of the receipt by the Clerk of your written complaint. Parents are entitled to attend this hearing, accompanied by one other person such as a relative or friend. Legal representation will not normally be appropriate. If possible, the Panel will resolve the complaint immediately without the need for further investigation.

If the Panel deems it necessary, it may require that further particulars of the complaint or any related matter be supplied in advance of the hearing. Copies of such particulars shall be supplied by the Clerk to the Foundation to all parties not later than seven days prior to the hearing.

Where further investigation is required, the Panel will decide how it should be carried out. After due consideration of the facts which it considers relevant, you will receive in writing from the Panel, usually within fourteen days of the hearing, its decisions and recommendations. This information will also be sent to the Headmaster, the other members of the School Committee, the Governors of the Court and, where relevant, the person complained of. The decision of the Panel will be final.

Parents can be assured that concerns and complaints will be treated seriously and confidentially. Correspondence, statements and other records will remain confidential except so far as is required of the school by paragraph 6(2) (j) of the Education (Independent Schools Standards) Regulations 2003, where disclosure is required in the course of the inspection of the school, or where other legal obligation prevails.

In the academic year 2011 - 2012, the number of formal complaints received by the school was: 1

Updated: August 2012