Complaints Procedure
Catholic schools aim to be places where the love of one’s neighbour is always evident. Christ told His disciples at the Last Supper, “This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.” In wishing to uphold this principle, Catholic schools and those who work there commit themselves to caring for their school community and upholding the school's Catholic doctrine and ethos. Nevertheless, as in any organisation, there can be times when a complaint may arise. This Complaints Policy aims to determine how those complaints will be dealt with and how the school will work with all parties to achieve a satisfactory resolution.
The main purposes of this Complaints Policy is to:
- Resolve problems as swiftly as possible, ideally through an early informal stage, demonstrating our commitment to promptly addressing issues and maintaining a positive school environment.
- Give complainants a means to raise complaints and have them addressed.
- Explain to whom a complaint should be directed at the different stages and how it will be dealt with at each stage, including expected timescales.
- Encourage all parties to raise and/or respond to complaints as quickly as possible so that they may be dealt with swiftly whilst the matter is still fresh in people’s minds.
- Stress that at all stages of this policy, discussions, considerations, and hearings will be held with the intention of resolving the complaint rather than apportioning blame, promoting a constructive and solution-oriented approach.
Wherever possible, the school aims to resolve the issue informally through discussion with relevant staff. The policy below outlines the procedure for complaints.