COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE FORM

Please Read Carefully

1. Purpose

CleverCrest Academy aims to provide high-quality tuition and a professional, respectful service. We recognise that concerns may sometimes arise. This procedure explains how students, parents, carers and others can raise concerns or make complaints, and how CleverCrest Academy will respond.
Our aim is to:
  • Resolve concerns fairly and promptly;
  • Listen carefully to the person making the complaint;
  • Treat everyone with dignity and respect;
  • Learn from complaints;
  • Protect children and adults from harm;
  • Improve the quality of our services.
Where possible, concerns should first be discussed informally, as many issues can be resolved quickly through open communication.

2. What is a complaint?

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about any aspect of the academy’s service, including:
The standard of tuition;
  • The conducts or behaviour of a tutor or staff member;
  • Communication from the academy;
  • Timetabling or cancelled lessons;
  • Earning materials or homework;
  • Assessment and feedback;
  • Administration;
  • Treatment of a student or parent;
  • Discrimination or unfair treatment;
  • Data protection or confidentiality;
  • Safeguarding practice;
  • The way a previous concern was handled.
A request for information, routine enquiry or suggestion will not normally be treated as a formal complaint unless the person asks for it to be handled formally.

3. Who may make a complaint?
  • A student;
  • A parent or carer;
  • A former student or parent;
  • A member of staff or tutor;
  • A another person directly affected by the academy’s services.

Children and young people may complain directly or ask a trusted adult to support them. Reasonable assistance will be offered to anyone who needs help because of disability, language, literacy or another communication need.

4. Our principles

  • CleverCrest Academy will:
  • Take complaints seriously;
  • Remain impartial;
  • Avoid retaliation or disadvantage against a complainant;
  • Maintain confidentiality as far as reasonably possible;
  • Share information only with those who need it;
  • Keep appropriate records;
  • Distinguish complaints from safeguarding investigations, disciplinary matters and legal proceedings;
  • Explain decisions clearly;
  • Identify actions needed to prevent the issue recurring.
Anonymous complaints may be considered where enough information is provided to investigate them, particularly where safeguarding or serious misconduct is alleged.

5. Before making a formal complaint

Where appropriate, the complainant should first speak to the tutor or staff member concerned and explain what happened, when it happened, who was involved, why they are dissatisfied and what outcome they are seeking.
A concern should not be raised directly with the tutor where:
  • The complaint concerns safeguarding;
  • The complainant feels unsafe;
  • The allegation involves serious misconduct;
  • There is a significant power imbalance;
  • Previous attempts have failed;
  • The complainant prefers to approach management.

In these circumstances, the concern should be sent directly to the Control Manager or Designated Safeguarding Lead.

6. Complaints process

Stage 1: Informal resolution
The complainant should contact the relevant tutor, staff member or the Control Manager by telephone, email or in person. CleverCrest Academy will aim to:
  • Acknowledge the concern within two working days;
  • Discuss it with the complainant;
  • Clarify the desired outcome;
  • Provide a response within five working days, where possible.
  • Possible resolutions may include an explanation, correction of an error, an apology, rearrangement of a lesson, replacement learning materials, a meeting with the tutor, additional support, review of teaching arrangements, or staff guidance and training.

Stage 2: Formal written complaint
If the matter is not resolved informally, a formal complaint should be submitted to:
The complaint should include:
  • The complainant’s name and contact details;
  • The student’s name, where relevant;
  • A clear description of the complaint;
  • Relevant dates and people involved;
  • Any evidence or correspondence;
  • Steps already taken;
  • The outcome being requested.
What CleverCrest will do
1. Acknowledge the complaint within three working days;
2. Confirm the issues being investigated;
3. Appoint an appropriate person to investigate;
4. Review relevant records and evidence;
5. Speak to the complainant and staff involved where necessary;
6. Consider whether immediate protective action is required;
7. Provide a written outcome.

We aim to complete Stage 2 within 10 working days. Where more time is required, the complainant will be told why the investigation is delayed, what remains outstanding and the revised response date.

Formal outcome
The written response will normally state the issues considered, the evidence reviewed, whether each part is upheld, partly upheld or not upheld, the reasons for the decision, any action the academy will take, and how to request an escalation.

Stage 3: Escalation and final review

If the complaint is not resolved by the Control Manager, or the complainant remains dissatisfied with the Stage 2 response, the matter may be escalated within 10 working days to:The escalation request should explain why the complainant believes the outcome was incorrect or incomplete, whether relevant evidence was overlooked, whether the procedure was not followed, and the outcome still being sought.

The review should be conducted by a senior person who was not directly responsible for the original decision, wherever reasonably possible. A final written response will normally be issued within 15 working days and will conclude CleverCrest Academy’s internal complaints process.

7. Complaints involving safeguarding

Any complaint suggesting that a child may be at risk of immediate harm, experiencing abuse or neglect, being groomed, subject to inappropriate contact, exposed to sexual misconduct, physically or emotionally harmed, or placed at serious risk by a tutor or staff member must be referred immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Safeguarding concerns will be managed under the academy’s safeguarding and child-protection procedures, not solely as an ordinary complaint. Where a child is in immediate danger, emergency services should be contacted without delay.

The academy may refer concerns to the police, children’s social care, the Local Authority Designated Officer, the Disclosure and Barring Service, or another appropriate safeguarding authority. The academy may not be able to disclose every detail of a safeguarding investigation.

8. Complaints about a tutor or staff member

Complaints about tutors or staff will be handled fairly and confidentially. The staff member will normally be told the nature of the complaint, given an opportunity to respond, treated impartially and supported appropriately.

The complainant will be informed of the overall outcome, but CleverCrest Academy may not disclose confidential employment, disciplinary or personal information. Where serious professional misconduct is alleged, the academy may consider referral to an external regulatory or safeguarding body.

9. Complaints made by students

Students should be encouraged to speak openly and should not be punished or disadvantaged for raising a genuine concern. A student may complain verbally, in writing, through a trusted adult, through a tutor who is not involved, or directly to the Control Manager or safeguarding lead.

The academy will explain the process in language appropriate to the student’s age and understanding. The student’s views will be listened to and taken seriously.

10. Data-protection complaints

Complaints concerning inappropriate sharing of information, loss of personal data, incorrect information, unauthorised access, photographs or recordings, email or online-account security, or access to records should be referred to the person responsible for data protection.

CleverCrest Academy will acknowledge and investigate the complaint, provide information about the outcome, take corrective action where required, and consider whether the matter must be reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

11. Confidentiality

Information about a complaint will be shared only where necessary to investigate the matter, protect a child or adult, obtain professional advice, comply with legal obligations, or respond to an external authority.

Complete confidentiality cannot be promised where there is a safeguarding concern, possible criminal offence or legal duty to disclose information. Complaint records will be stored securely.

12. Complaint Records

CleverCrest Academy will maintain an appropriate record of the date received, complainant details, nature of the complaint, people involved, investigation notes, evidence reviewed, communications, outcome, actions taken, lessons learned and closure date.

13. Remedies

Where a complaint is upheld or partly upheld, possible remedies include:
  • An apology;
  • Correcting inaccurate information;
  • Replacing materials;
  • Repeating or rearranging a lesson;
  • Reviewing tutor allocation;
  • Providing additional learning support;
  • Improving communication;
  • Staff supervision or training;
  • Revising a policy or procedure;
  • A refund or credit where appropriate under the academy’s terms;
  • Safeguarding or disciplinary action;
  • Referral to an external body.

14. Unreasonable or persistent behaviour

CleverCrest Academy will remain respectful and accessible, even where a complaint is difficult or repeated. However, the academy may restrict communication where behaviour becomes abusive, threatening, discriminatory, harassing, excessively repetitive, knowingly false, disruptive to operations, or repeatedly directed at staff who are not responsible for the complaint.

Before imposing restrictions, the academy will normally explain the behaviour causing concern, ask the complainant to communicate appropriately, provide a named contact, explain any communication limits and keep the restriction under review. A complaint will not be treated as unreasonable merely because it is persistent or strongly expressed.

15. Complaints outside this procedure

The following may need to be managed under a different process: safeguarding allegations, staff grievances, disciplinary matters, whistleblowing concerns, contractual disputes, insurance claims, criminal allegations, legal proceedings, subject-access requests, and payment or debt-recovery disputes.

16. Learning from complaints

Management will review complaints periodically to identify repeated concerns, communication gaps, teaching-quality issues, training needs, safeguarding themes, timetable or administrative problems, and necessary policy changes. Personal information will be removed from management reports unless identification is necessary.

17. External Advice
CleverCrest Academy is a private tutoring provider rather than a state school or academy. Depending on the complaint, a complainant may seek advice from Citizens Advice, the Information Commissioner’s Office for data-protection concerns, the police or local safeguarding services where someone may be at risk, a relevant professional or regulatory body, or a solicitor or alternative dispute-resolution provider.

If the complaint is not resolved, escalate to Dolapo.Adetokunbo@clevercrestacademy.co.uk and copy admin@clevercrestacademy.co.uk

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Date of Incident or Concern