Complaints

Concerns and Complaint about Pinderfields Hospital Pupil Referral Unit

If you have a concern or complaint

We would like you to tell us about it. We welcome suggestions for improving our work in PHPRU. Be assured that no matter

what you want to tell us, our support and respect for you and your child in PHPRU will not be affected in any way. Please tell us of your concern as soon as possible. It is difficult for us to investigate properly an incident or problem which has happened some time ago.

What to do first:

Most concerns and complaints can be sorted out quickly by speaking with your child’s class teacher.

Any member of staff at the school can help you and direct you to the most appropriate person to deal with your concern / complaint. If you have a complaint which you feel should be looked at by the Headteacher in the first instance you can make contact if you prefer. It is usually best to discuss the problem face to face. You may need an appointment to do this and you can make one by ringing or emailing the school. You can take a friend or relative to the appointment if you feel you would like to do so.

All staff will make every effort to resolve your issue informally. They will make sure they understand what you feel went wrong, explain their actions to you and ask what resolution you require to put things right. This does not mean that in every case the resolution will be as you wish but it will help both you and the school to understand both sides and possibly help to prevent a similar problem arising again.

What to do next:

If you are dissatisfied with the teacher’s response (or with the Headteacher’s initial reaction if already involved), you may wish to make a formal complaint to the Headteacher. This should be made in writing using the form provided in the PHPRU Complaints Policy and Procedure. A copy of this is available on the PHPRU website.

If your complaint is about an action of the Headteacher personally, then you should refer your complaint to the Chair of the Management Committee; contact details can be obtained from the school office or website.

The Headteacher will ask to meet you for a discussion of the problem and try to resolve the matter informally. Again, you may take a friend or relative to support if you wish. If we are unable to resolve informally, the Headteacher (or suitable representative) will conduct a full investigation of the complaint and may interview members of staff or pupils involved. You will receive a written response to your complaint.

Most problems can be resolved by the end of this stage.

If your complaint has not been resolved:

If you are still not satisfied, you may wish to contact the Chair of the Management Committee to ask for a referral of your complaint to a panel (sub-committee) of the Management Committee. The complaint will be heard by a panel of members who have no previous knowledge of the issue and who will be able to provide fresh assessment. You will then be invited to attend a meeting to speak to the panel; the Headteacher will also attend. The Complaints Policy and Procedure explains how these meetings operate.

Further action:

Complaints about the school are almost always settled within the school but in exceptional cases it may be possible to refer the problem to an outside body such as the Secretary of State for Education. The Department of Education will expect the complaint to have been considered by the Management Committee first. There is more detail in the full Complaints Policy and Procedures, on PHPRU’s website or via the Department for Education website at www.education.gov.uk/help/contactus.

The PHPRU Complaints Policy and Procedures can be found at https://www.pinderfieldshospitalpru.co.uk/key- information/policies

Complaints policy