Compliments
We welcome any positive feedback you may have. Our pupils, staff, parents and carers face many challenges. The little victories, as well as the big successes, make us feel encouraged and positive. Our pupils are often used to criticism and complaint and so they love to be recognised for positive reasons, even a small gesture or an act of politeness or kindness.
The academy encourages feedback or opinions from pupils and parents. It may not always be possible to act immediately, but pupils and the academy always benefit so please don’t hold back! We will always send a ‘Pupil of the Week’ card in cases such as this.
Concerns
If you’re concerned about your child’s education or welfare at The Compass Academy, including the academy’s approach to curriculum, behaviour, attendance problems or any other issue, you can call or contact us at any time. An ideal opportunity would be to talk to your child’s tutor during daily contact debrief. If you feel this is not appropriate, please call the academy directly and ask to speak to the Principal or the Vice Principals.
The academy welcomes questions from parents about any matter. Parent Review Day (half termly) is another good opportunity to discuss anything you are worried about or you feel you need further information on. Teachers and staff will explain the academy practices, policies, and how they affect the pupils.
The academy has defined procedures for handling complaints so don’t be embarrassed if you feel an issue warrants more attention (see below).
Complaints
The procedure is again to speak to your child’s tutor in the first instance or contact the academy office to arrange an appointment to discuss your complaint with whoever you wish.
In summary, the nationally accepted procedure is divided into three stages:
If you are unhappy with the outcome or your complaint, or the way it has been handled at academy level, you can contact the Secretary of State at the following address:
The Secretary of State
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
LONDON
SW1P 3BT
You should enclose a copy of any correspondence with the academy or governing body so that the Department for Education (DfE) can see how they have responded.
Any concerns or complaints are always dealt with sensitively in the academy. Information is restricted to those who have a specific need to know about it and is always handled within the laws governing data protection. We cannot promise complete confidentiality in all circumstances, because in some situations we have a legal duty to pass on information to third party organisations such as government or local government bodies.
