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Listen
Managing Complaints
No matter how strong partnerships are, and how good strategies and policies are, things can still go wrong. It is important, therefore, to have clear arrangements in place so that staff and parents can resolve issues together, with support if necessary.
In order to maintain positive relationships, it is usually better for all parties, if parental complaints/concerns can be resolved at school level as quickly as possible. How you learn from complaints, and make improvements as a result of complaints, says a lot about your school and authority.
"There are two things headteachers should do when they get a complaint: listen, and imagine what it would be like being in the parent's shoes." A headteacher
Dealing with complaints:
Handling complaints properly is an important part of good customer care. It shows that you:
- listen to parents' views
- learn from your mistakes
- are continually trying to improve.
Top Ten Tips
1. Keep it simple - avoid long forms.
2. Use face to face contact and the phone - don't automatically send a letter, most parents like to talk.
3. Listen for positive comments made and feed them back.
4. Find out straight away what would help.
5. Be clear what solutions you can offer.
6. Where appropriate, a quick apology is better than a long letter.
7. Give personal and specific replies - a standard reply will only make things worse.
8. Use one point of contact.
9. Let parents know about improvements made as a result of their complaints.
10. And remember - more complaints can be good news! It shows that your parents trust you to take them seriously.
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