The vast majority of concerns and complaints can be dealt with informally. There are many occasions where concerns are resolved straight away without the need to submit a formal complaint. Indeed, many concerns raised at this stage might not be classified as complaints. When a complaint is made directly to the Principal or Head of School (HOS), stage 1 is not required and the formal procedure begins at stage 2.

Individuals may decide to raise their concerns with a member of the School administrative staff, class teacher, senior teacher, nurse or Principal or HOS depending on their wishes and the type of issues they want to discuss. Any party contacting the School may choose to contact the Principal or HOS directly of their own accord. In these cases it will be at the discretion of the HOS as to whether or not to direct them to the particular staff member first.

It is advisable that any parent who has a concern about any aspect related to:

• Their child, class teacher or the class particularly, department, learning/ teaching process, shares his/her concerns in the first instance with, his/ her class teacher;
• The helping staff (cleaners, nannies, handyman, security man), shares his/her concerns in the first instance with the school nurse;
• The faculty staff, school in general, policy and code of conduct talks over, shares his/her concerns in the first instance with the HOS;
• The after school extra curricular activities (ECAs), shares his/her concerns in the first instance with the ECA coordinator;
• The Admissions department, shares his/her concerns in the first instance the Head Of Admissions
• The HR/ Accounts Department, shares his/her concerns in the first instance with the HR/ Accounts Head of Department

Steps to be followed:

1. A parent should request an appointment with the staff in charge of the particular area of his/ her concern. This can be initiated by phone, by email, or in person.
2. A suitable time and place should be agreed for both parties.
3. A one-to–one session should be held.

It is not necessary to record or monitor complaints at this level. The Principal and/or HOS does not have to be informed about the concern at this stage if resolved to both parties’ satisfaction. There are no specific time scales for dealing with concerns at this stage. However, as at all stages, issues should be considered and dealt with as quickly and effectively as possible.

Most complaints should be resolved amicably and informally at this stage. If the individual is dissatisfied with the response they have been given and would like to take their complaint further, they should be referred to the school’s complaints procedure and advised how to escalate their complaint to the next stage.

Logging of complaints

All complaints that reach stage 2 should be logged in the ‘School’s complaint folder’. This is to be made available to the School Executive Board and to KHDA inspectors.

At this stage, all communications between parties need to be carefully recorded and monitored with the following information:

• The name of the complainant;
• The date and time at which complaint was made;
• The details of the complaint;
• The desired outcome of the complainant;
• How the complaint is/will be investigated (including written records of interviews held);
• Results and conclusions of investigations;
• Any action taken; and
• The complainant’s response (satisfaction or further pursuit of complaint).

Informal discussion with the Principal/HOS

Before proceeding with a formal investigation, the Principal/HOS will meet with the individual and discuss their concerns and wishes. It may still be appropriate and satisfactory to reach an informal resolution at this point. If not, the Principal/HOS will proceed in accordance with the complaints policy, and will advise the parents accordingly.

Submitting a formal complaint

By this stage it must be clear that the concern is a definite complaint that will be dealt with according to this policy and should be formally submitted in writing to the Principal/HOS. For parents not comfortable with making written complaints, there is a template form for recording complaints. All written complaints must be written in English.

Steps to be followed:

1. A parent should submit a written complaint to the student’s class teacher or form tutor either by email or in person. At this stage, the class teacher/form tutor should notify the Key Stage Leader about the received written complaint. The Key Stage Leader will notify the Principal/HOS.
2. The Principal/HOS should formally acknowledge the complaint within 24 hours of receiving it and begin an investigation.
3. The Principal/HOS will need to investigate the complaint and review any relevant documentation and information. If necessary, the Principal/HOS will interview witnesses and take statements from those involved. If the complaint involves a student, the student will also usually be questioned.
4. When the investigation into the complaint is completed, the Principal/HOS/School Complaints Committee will meet with the parents to discuss the outcome within 10 working days of the acknowledgment. The opportunity for the Principal/HOS School Complaints Committee to meet and discuss the outcome of the investigations with the complainant should be offered at a mutually convenient time. Minutes of the meeting should be recorded (by a third party) during this session, and an agreed written record of the discussion will be shared afterwards. The minutes should record whether or not the complaint has been upheld, the reasons why, and what action (if any) will be taken. All of the parties present at the meeting should sign the minutes and receive a copy. A copy should also be sent to the School Advisory Board.

A record of the written complaint from parents and the summative points from the meeting shall be kept in the following files:

1. In the child’s personal file if it is related to the child only;
2. In the staff’s file with the Principal/HOS if it is related to the faculty staff;
3. In the Central Office or school Staff files for all non academic staff, School Facilities, Admin, HR/ Accounts, if appropriate; and
4. In the School complaints file if it is related to the School in general, Records should be retained for the period of two years.

In the event that the complainant remains dissatisfied with the outcome of the School’s investigation, the matter may be referred to the School Executive Board for appeal. The elected member of the School Executive Board will request a full report from the Principal/HOS along with all relevant documents. On the basis of these, the member of the School Executive Board may call for a briefing from individual members of staff. The member of the School Executive Board will acknowledge within 24 hours of receipt of the referral that the complaint is being reviewed and he/she will ask the parent if they wish to add further details for consideration. A date will also be given by which the parent may expect a full response. The member of the School Executive Board may be able to offer a new approach which may satisfactorily conclude the matter for the parent. The response will be clear and detailed but, if the parent remains dissatisfied the member of the School Executive Board will also offer a meeting.

If a meeting is requested those involved will be:

• The member of the School Executive Board;
• The Principal/HOS;
• The relevant member of staff (if deemed necessary); and The parents.

In the unlikely event that the School is unable to address an individual’s concerns to their satisfaction, the individual may wish to approach the regulator, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in Dubai. This option can be pursued even if the child is withdrawn from the School.

Parents may approach KHDA directly after the last or any stage of this complaints procedure.

We have set out below the contact details for the KHDA:

KHDA Website | Phone Number | Email | Twitter

Address:

Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA)
Block 8, Academic City,
P.O Box 500008, Dubai, U.A.E.