Reporting Concerns
Procedure for addressing student / parent concerns and complaints
Grow. We approach concerns and complaints with a mindset of learning and growth.
Discover. We engage in dialogue directly as fellow members of the College community.
Dream. We work together to ensure our College is the best it can be.
This procedure outlines the ways in which members of the College community engage in dialogue and clear processes to address concerns and complaints. In any school community, things occur from time to time that give rise to concern or worry. When this happens, it is important that we take a collaborative approach that emphasises direct dialogue and a mindset of learning and growth. When this occurs, concerns and complaints form a helpful means to garner feedback and improve our College.
Contents:
Addressing concerns through dialogue
Addressing complaints through clear processes
Appealing the outcome of a complaint
1. Addressing concerns through dialogue
Key point
The significant majority of issues affecting the student experience can be addressed through dialogue. Students / parents should generally contact the Class Teacher, Learning Advisor or Subject Teacher in the first instance.
For the significant majority of issues affecting the student experience, appropriate resolution can be found through dialogue. Such issues are considered ‘concerns’; in such instances, students / parents should contact the staff member at the College with direct responsibility for the issue / area to which the concern relates. In most instances, this means the appropriate first point of contact will be the Class Teacher (Primary), the Learning Advisor (Secondary - General / Student Support), or the Subject Teacher (Secondary - Subject-Specific).
Where a student / parent may be concerned about the practice or actions of a member of staff, if they do not feel able to discuss the issue with the member of staff directly they may contact the relevant Team Leader (Primary), Dean (Secondary - General / Student Support), or Head of Department (Secondary - Subject-Specific).
Did you know? Contact details for all DC Staff can be found in the Parent and Student Handbook |
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For concerns about issues that are more general in nature, and/or that relate to policy, the appropriate first point of contact will be the senior leader with responsibility for the issue / area in question. This will only apply to the minority of concerns, as in most cases the concern can in the first instance be addressed by the Class Teacher / Learning Advisor / Subject Teacher.
The following (non-exhaustive) list of responsibilities may assist students / parents in knowing who to contact in such instances:
Area | Senior Leader |
Curriculum and Assessment | Director of Curriculum |
Parent Education and Engagement | Director of Pedagogy and Professional Learning |
Communications and Calendar | Deputy Head of College/Director of Quality Assurance and Strategic Performance |
Co-Curricular | Director of Co-Curricular |
Student Support and Child Protection | Director of Student Support and Wellbeing |
Primary (General) | Head of Primary |
Secondary (General) | Head of Secondary |
School Operations and Finance Matters | Business Manager |
(For concerns that relate to issues that are ESF-wide rather than being specific to DC, students / parents should contact the ESF Centre Engagement Manager.)
Concerns should be expressed in a respectful manner. A student / parent expressing a concern can expect to receive an acknowledgement of their concern, and where relevant a timescale for further response e.g. within 5 to 10 days of receipt. It is not generally appropriate for a member of the College community to express a concern on behalf of someone else when they themselves are not affected by the issue in question, unless there is a specific reason for this and the person affected has given their assent.
When a concern is expressed, staff will listen carefully to why the student / parent is concerned. If the concern reveals that something needs to be changed, the staff member will work to enact this change, in collaboration with other stakeholders where needed. If the concern reveals that further explanation would help the student / parent know why something is the way it is, this further explanation will be offered. Both of these approaches are appropriate ways of seeking resolution of a concern.
2. Addressing complaints through clear processes
Key point
On the infrequent occasion that a formal complaint is required, students / parents should write to the senior leader responsible for the issue / area in question.
In some instances, it is appropriate for an issue to be formalised as a complaint. This will generally be in cases where either:
- the issue has first been approached as a ‘concern’ and an appropriate resolution has not been able to occur as described above; or
- the issue is highly serious, pervasive, and/or suggests an evident need for formal revision of the College’s approaches or practices in one or more areas.
Did you know? Discovery College does not respond to anonymous complaints or concerns |
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The following table may help to guide the College’s stakeholders in identifying whether an issue is best addressed as a concern or a complaint.
...Concerns | ...Complaints |
…can be dealt with informally | …require a formal process |
…will often constitute the first dialogue between the student / parent and the College on a particular issue | …may be situations that remain unresolved after prior attempts have been made to address them as a ‘concern’ |
…may be indicative of a need for further information or explanation | …will generally be situations that remain unresolved even after relevant information and explanation has been provided |
…refer to situations where if a change needs to be made this can happen in a fairly straightforward way | …may suggest a need for more fundamental change to the College’s approaches or practices in one or more areas |
…can be addressed with the staff member who has the most direct responsibility for the issue / area in question | …will generally require the attention of the College’s senior leadership |
If it is relevant to raise a complaint, the student / parent wishing to do so should write to the senior leader with responsibility for the issue / area in question. The above list of responsibilities, in the ‘Addressing concerns through dialogue’ section, can also be used as guidance to student / parents as to who may be best to approach. If a complaint is raised with one senior leader but is best handled by another, the College’s senior leadership may transfer the complaint handling to the latter person. In such cases, the complainant will be informed promptly that this is occurring.
If a student / parent is not sure to whom the complaint should be addressed, or if the complaint is sufficiently complex to span multiple areas of responsibility, the student / parent may instead write to the Principal to raise their complaint. The Principal may then assign the complaint to one or more senior leaders as they deem appropriate, and will inform the complainant as such.
If the Principal is themself the subject of the complaint, the complainant should contact the ESF Centre Engagement Manager for further assistance.
Did you know? The procedures in this document also apply to complaints and requests for appeals related to IB programme decisions made by the school (such as subject offering, subject selection, internal grade awarding or the conduct of IB assessments.). For IB-specific issues, the Director of Curriculum will normally be the first point of contact and may involve the relevant programme coordinator(s) as needed. For appeals related to final IB-issued grades and exams, the relevant procedures are laid out in the Assessment Procedures for the cohort in question. These, and other related communications, are issued to students and parents as needed in advance of examination sessions. |
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The timescale for handling a complaint may vary depending on the issue at hand; the staff member handling the complaint will indicate the likely timescale in each case so that the complainant knows when to expect further communication.
The College will, throughout its handling of complaints, ensure proper process is adhered to. This includes the following:
- if there is information not yet presented that could assist the handling of the complaint, the senior leader handling the complaint will conduct an investigation;
- the various stakeholders relevant to a complaint will be spoken to in order to form a full picture of the issue;
- an evidence-informed approach will be taken, drawing on all relevant information that can reasonably be gathered in order to form a fair and impartial outcome;
- the complaint will be considered in light of the College’s guiding statements, prevailing legislation in Hong Kong as relevant to the issue at hand, and the ESF statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion;
- if a particular staff member is the subject of a complaint, this staff member will not be involved in its handling;
- no retributive action will be tolerated in relation to someone who has made a complaint; and
- information about complaints will generally be handled on a ‘need to know’ basis, with sensitivity to the privacy of those involved.
As a community we believe in working together to resolve issues constructively. As such, where complaints are raised in good faith, they are handled in good faith and with the adoption of a mindset of learning and growth. On the very rare occasion that a complainant’s behaviour is judged to be unreasonable - for instance, a frivolous complaint is being raised repeatedly such that it is clear the purpose is simply to occupy the time of staff members without bringing about a constructive resolution - the Principal reserves the right to halt the handling of a complaint where it is in the best interests of the College community to do so.
The outcome of a complaint may involve several scenarios, including the following:
- the complaint is not upheld, with no further action taken;
- the complaint reveals the need for further information or explanation to be provided to the complainant, resulting in it being de-escalated to a concern and the above approach in section one then followed; or
- the complaint is upheld; the College adjusts its approaches and practices to rectify the issue and/or to address similar issues in the future. As relevant to the situation, a restorative approach may be taken to support relationships between stakeholders affected by the issue at hand.
Complainants will receive clear communication about the outcome of their complaint.
3. Appealing the outcome of a complaint
Key point
To appeal the outcome of a complaint because there is evidence that the complaint has not been properly handled, students / parents should write to the Principal
It is possible that it becomes relevant for the complainant to appeal the outcome of their complaint. This will generally be if there is evidence that their complaint has not been handled in accordance with proper process.
To appeal the outcome of a complaint, the complainant should write to the Principal within 10 calendar days of the complaint outcome being communicated to them. The Principal will then review the handling of the complaint and provide the complainant with an outcome to their appeal. In doing so, the Principal may consult the School Council and/or representatives of ESF Centre as appropriate to the situation.
The timescale for handling an appeal may vary depending on the issue at hand; the Principal will indicate the likely timescale in each case so that the complainant knows when to expect further communication.