Page 12 - Complaints Policy & Procedures Sep20

Complaints about services provided by other providers who may use school premises or facilities.
The academy should direct complainants to follow the external provider’s own complaints procedure.
Complaints about the curriculum
Please contact the Department for Education at
www.education.gov.uk/contactus
Complaints about collective worship
Complaints about the content of the daily act of collective worship (DACW) should be addressed to the Trust or:
 the local Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education
 other relevant body, e.g. the appropriate Diocese:
o Diocese of Chichester
Withdrawal from the curriculum
Parents and carers can withdraw their child from any aspect of Religious Education (RE), including the DACW. They do not have to explain why.
If parents or carers are not satisfied with the handling of a request to withdraw their child from RE or the DACW, the academy should advise them to follow their complaints procedure.
The right of withdrawal does not apply to other areas of the curriculum where religious matters may be spontaneously raised by pupils or arise in other subjects such as history or citizenship.
Should parents wish to withdraw their child from sex and relationship education they should refer to the schools Sex and Relationship Education policy.
If other bodies are investigating aspects of the complaint, for example the police, local authority (LA) safeguarding teams or Tribunals, this may impact on our ability to adhere to the timescales within this procedure or result in the procedure being suspended until those public bodies have completed their investigations.
If a complainant commences legal action against an academy or the Trust in relation to their complaint, we will consider whether to suspend the complaints procedure in relation to their complaint until those legal proceedings have concluded.
9. Complaint Campaigns
If the school becomes the focus of a campaign and receives large volumes of complaints:  all based on the same subject
DCAT Complaints Policy and Procedures September 2020
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