resolve your concern. Without this, it is much more difficult to proceed. Please pass the completed form, in a sealed envelope to the school office. The envelope should be addressed to the headteacher, or to the clerk to the governing body, as appropriate. If you prefer to let us know your complaint verbally and for us to take notes, the school office or clerk to the governors can assist with this, or the headteacher may assist if you feel more comfortable with this. The headteacher (or chair of the governing body) will acknowledge your complaint within two working days. The headteacher (or chair of the governing body) may invite you to a meeting to clarify your concerns and to explore the possibility of an informal resolution. If you accept that invitation, you may be accompanied by a friend, if you wish, to assist you in explaining the nature of your concerns. It is possible that your complaint will be resolved through a meeting with the headteacher (or chair). If not, arrangements will be made for the matter to be fully investigated, using the appropriate procedure, which may include interviews which will be fully documented. In any case you should learn in writing, usually within five school days of the school receiving your formal complaint, of how the school intends to proceed. This notification should include an indication of the anticipated timescale, which will vary depending on the complexity of the situation. Any investigation will begin as soon as possible and when it has been concluded, you will be informed in writing of its conclusion. If you are not satisfied with the manner in which the process has been followed, you may request that the governing body reviews the process followed by the school, in handling the complaint. Any such request must be made in writing to the clerk to the governing body, within ten school days of receiving notice of the outcome, and include a statement specifying any perceived failures to follow the procedure. The procedure described below will be followed. A Review Request form, available from the school office, is provided for your convenience. Review Process Any review of the process followed by the school will be conducted by a panel of three impartial members of the governing body who have not been involved in the process previously. If there are fewer than three impartial governors of the school, the clerk will source additional governors from other local schools. If the complaint is about jointly about the Chair and Vice Chair, or about the entire governing body, or the majority of the governing body then the complaint at this stage will be considered by a committee of independent governors. The review will usually take place within ten school days of receipt of your request. The review will normally be conducted through a consideration of written submissions, but reasonable requests to make oral representations will be considered sympathetically. In this case, the clerk will organise a meeting; if more than three reasonable dates are turned down without good reason, the clerk will select a date. If a meeting is to take place, the clerk will notify all parties at least a full working week before the date of the meeting, and will circulate any written materials at the same time. If the above timescales cannot be met then the clerk will let you know as soon as possible and will let you know the revised timescale. Next steps If the complainant believes the school did not handle their complaint in accordance with the published complaints procedure or they acted unlawfully or unreasonably in the exercise of their duties under education law, they can contact the Department for Education after they have completed the Review Process. The Department for Education will not normally reinvestigate the substance of complaints or overturn any decisions made by the school. They will consider whether the school has adhered to education legislation and any statutory policies connected with the complaint.