At Safa British School we believe that students and parents are entitled to expect courteous and prompt, careful attention to their needs and wishes. The School takes very seriously any complaints and concerns that may arise which involves either your own child or the School as a whole. We also welcome suggestions and feedback on how to improve the School.
We will give prompt and serious attention to any areas of dissatisfaction. We anticipate that most concerns will be resolved quickly in an informal manner by approaching the appropriate member of staff. If this does not achieve the desired result, we have a procedure for dealing with concerns.
This complaints procedure is not limited to parents or carers of children that are registered at the school. Any person, including members of the public, may make a complaint to Safa British School about any provision of facilities or services that we provide. Unless complaints are dealt with under KHDA guidance, we will use this complaints procedure.
A concern may be defined as ‘an expression of worry or doubt over an issue considered to be important for which reassurances are sought’.
A complaint may be defined as ‘an expression of dissatisfaction however made, about actions taken or a lack of action’.
It is in everyone’s interest that concerns, and complaints, are resolved at the earliest possible stage. Many issues can be resolved informally, without the need to use the formal stages of the complaints procedure.
Safa British School takes concerns seriously and will make every effort to resolve the matter as quickly as possible. If you have difficulty discussing a concern with a particular member of staff, we will respect your views. In these cases, the principal or headteacher will refer you to another staff member. The member of staff may be more senior, but does not have to be.
The ability to consider the concern objectively and impartially is more important. We understand however, that there are occasions when people would like to raise their concerns formally. In this case, Safa British School will attempt to resolve the issue internally, through the stages outlined within this complaints procedure.
A concern or complaint can be made in person, in writing or by telephone.
Concerns should first be raised with the class teacher. If the issue remains unresolved, the next step is to raise the concern with a relevant assistant headteacher on the leadership team. If the issue is still unresolved, then a complaint may be made to the headteacher, then more formally to the principal.
Complainants should not approach individual governors to raise concerns or complaints. They have no power to act on an individual basis and it may also prevent them from considering complaints at Stage 2 of the procedure.
Complaints against school staff (except the headteacher) should be made in the first instance, to the headteacher. Please mark them as Private and Confidential.
Complaints that involve or are about the headteacher should be addressed to the school principal.
Complaints against the principal should be addressed to either Sameer Merchant or Louay Khattab (the Chair of Governors). Please mark them as Private and Confidential.
Complaints about the Chair of Governors, any individual governor or the whole governing body should be addressed to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).
In accordance with equality law, we will consider making reasonable adjustments if required, to enable complainants to access and complete this complaints procedure. For instance, providing information in alternative formats, assisting complainants in raising a formal complaint or holding meetings in accessible locations.
Formal complaints must be made to the headteacher (unless they are about the headteacher), via the school office. This may be done in person, in writing, or by telephone.
The headteacher will record the date the complaint is received and will acknowledge receipt of the complaint in writing (either by letter, email or telephone call) within three school days.
Within this response, the headteacher will seek to clarify the nature of the complaint, ask what remains unresolved and what outcome the complainant would like to see. The headteacher can consider whether a face-to-face or online meeting is the most appropriate way of doing this. Note: The headteacher may delegate the investigation to another member of the school’s senior leadership team.
During the investigation, the headteacher (or investigator) will:
At the conclusion of their investigation, the headteacher will provide a response within seven school days of the date of receipt of the complaint. If the headteacher is unable to meet this deadline, they will provide the complainant with an update and revised response date.
The response will detail any actions taken to investigate the complaint and provide an explanation of the decision made and the reason(s) for it. Where appropriate, it will include details of actions Safa British School will take to resolve the complaint.
The headteacher will advise the complainant of how to escalate their complaint should they remain dissatisfied with the outcome of Stage 1.
If the complaint is about the headteacher, the principal will complete all the actions at Stage 1. If the complaint is about the principal, a member of the governing body will complete all the actions at Stage 1. If the complaint is about the governing body, these will be referred to KHDA.
If the complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome at Stage 1 and wishes to take the matter further, they can escalate the complaint to Stage 2 – a meeting with members of the governing body’s complaints committee, which will be formed of the first three, impartial, governors available. This is the final stage of the complaints procedure.
A request to escalate to Stage 2 must be made to the principal within three school days of receipt of the Stage 1 response. The principal will record the date the complaint is received and acknowledge receipt of the complaint in writing (either by letter, telephone call or email) within three school days. Requests received outside of this time frame will only be considered if exceptional circumstances apply.
The governing body will inform the complainant of the date of the meeting. They will aim to convene a meeting within seven school days of receipt of the Stage 2 request. If this is not possible, the governing body will provide an anticipated date and keep the complainant informed.
If the complainant rejects the offer of three proposed dates, without good reason, the governing body will decide when to hold the meeting. It will then proceed in the complainant’s absence.
The complaints committee will consist of at least three governors with no prior involvement or knowledge of the complaint. Prior to the meeting, they will decide amongst themselves who will act as the Chair of the Complaints Committee.
If there are fewer than three governors available, the principal will source any additional, independent governors in order to make up the committee.
The committee will decide whether to deal with the complaint by inviting parties to a meeting or through written representations, but in making their decision they will be sensitive to the complainant’s needs.
If the complainant is invited to attend the meeting, they may bring someone along to provide support. This can be a relative or friend. Generally, we do not encourage either party to bring legal representatives to the committee meeting. However, there may be occasions when legal representation is appropriate.
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