Summary of Procedures
Informal Concerns
You may raise your concern with a Teacher, Subject Co-ordinator, Head of Year, Head of House, Business Manager, Assistant Principal, Vice Principal, Associate Principal or Principal. Concerns may be raised in person, over the phone or over email exchanges.
Such concerns will generally be raised and responded to orally and a written record of the concern will not necessarily be kept; this depends on the complexity. If a resolution is not reached at this point, the person raising the complaint may progress to stage 1 formally, equally leaders may refer the concern to stage 1 if they feel conflicted or unable to resolve it fairly.
Concerns will only be deemed as complaints when the correct complaints form have been used that are attached to this policy. We encourage all complainants to work collaboratively at this stage to enable a resolution that allows us to continue focusing on supporting all students.
Formal Complaints
The Academy recognises that complainants may use technology to assist in drafting correspondence. However, we strongly encourage complainants to use their own words to describe their concerns and the specific resolution they are seeking.
Complainants should be aware that:
● Accuracy: AI-generated content often cites legislation or guidance incorrectly. The Academy will investigate complaints based on the facts of the case and current statutory requirements, regardless of any automated legal citations provided.
● Clarity: Where a complaint is generated using AI and is excessively long, complex, or contains irrelevant information, the Academy may ask the complainant to provide a concise summary of their specific concerns before resolution proceeds. Where a concise summary is not provided and correspondence is multi-pages long, the time to investigate may take up to three months.
● Human-Led Resolution: As per our commitment to a non-adversarial process, we prioritise human-to-human dialogue. The use of AI-generated templates to create a ‘legalistic’ tone can hinder informal resolution. We reserve the right to hold a meeting (in person or via video link) to ensure we have a clear, human understanding of your concern before moving to a formal investigation.
To make a Stage One Complaint, please complete this form and return to the Principal via the school office, in person or by email.
Please note complaints must be completed on the correct form with full information to aid resolution or will be deemed as concerns and follow no formal process.