If I have a concern or complaint about school, what should I do?

We believe that it is really important that all school staff have positive, honest relationships with parents, carers, children and everyone else in the school community. At the end of the day, our joint aims are that our children feel safe and happy in school and that they are ready to learn and we want to work together with parents and carers to achieve this. We believe that one of the main ways to do this is for us to talk to one another in person, if at all possible, and to nip any concerns or worries in the bud so that they don’t become too serious or long lasting.

There can be times when parents and carers have concerns or questions about things at school that they want to address more formally. Usually, speaking and listening to one another and trying to understand each other’s point of view is enough.

We have outlined the process below.

1.      If you have a concern about something that has happened in class or the playground, the first person to speak with is your child’s class teacher. The best way to do this is to contact the school office on 0114 2726834 to arrange an appointment before school or at the end of the day. Alternatively, you may prefer to email the member of staff using: enquiries@netherthorpe.sheffield.sch.uk . Also, class teachers are usually available at the end of the school day and will be with their class in the playground or exit. It is not always possible to speak on the same day that but we will arrange a meeting as soon as possible.

2.      If this doesn’t resolve the concern or if you feel that the matter is more serious, the next step is to speak with the headteacher or deputy-headteacher. Once again, contacting the office is the easiest way to arrange an appointment, or you could come into school at the beginning or end of the day and either speak directly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher, or arrange to speak with them at another time.

3.      If you feel that that the matter still hasn’t been resolved, or if your concern is about the headteacher, then you can email the Chair/s of Governors, using chairofgovernors@netherthorpe.sheffield.sch.uk . Our current co-chairs are Matt Dean and Taoufik Marah. The Chair/s of Governors would then carry out an investigation of their own and inform you in writing of the outcome.

4.      If the complaint has not been settled in school, following the process above, parents and carers are able to make a complaint to the Secretary of State for Education.

Our School’s Complaints Procedures Policy and our Whistleblowing Policy can be found here:

https://www.netherthorpe.sheffield.sch.uk/page/policies/21934

Below is a flow chart summery of the procedure.