Parental Complaints Procedure

Procedure

Parental Complaints Procedure

The parental complaints procedure was revised and agreed by national education partners in 2023. It is designed to provide an open and clearly defined process for parents and legal guardians in raising concerns about their own child or children in an agreed, fair and transparent manner.

It is recognised that parents and legal guardians are the primary educators in a child’s life. From time to time, concerns may arise which require engagement with the school. It is expected that engagement will be timely, courteous and resolution-focused, so the relationship between home and school can be preserved and respected.

Procedural Points

The procedure is a staged process. In most cases, concerns will be dealt with either informally or formally at the earlier stages of the procedure.

Where it has not been possible to agree a resolution at the earlier stages, the procedure allows for escalation of the matter to the Board of Management. This sets out the process to be followed in progressing a complaint and the specific timescale to be followed.

Important points to note

• Where written correspondence is mentioned, this refers to a letter or email from a parent or legal guardian.
• Only complaints about a teacher that are written and signed by a parent or legal guardian, and which relate to their own child, will be investigated.
• Days in this procedure refer specifically to school days. Holidays, school closures and leave absences are not counted as school days.
• Group or collective complaints are not provided for. Each parent or legal guardian raising a concern will be dealt with separately through the process.
• The procedure is a domestic forum and neither management nor INTO intends that there would be legal representation at any stage.
• Issues should be raised in a timely manner and, where possible, at the earliest stage with the teacher.

Where this procedure may not apply

The procedure may not apply where a complaint raised by a parent or legal guardian is deemed by the employer or Board of Management to relate to matters outside the scope of this process.

• Matters of professional competence that are to be referred to the Department of Education.
• Frivolous or vexatious complaints and complaints which do not impinge on the work of a teacher in a school.
• Complaints where either party has recourse to law or to another existing procedure.

Correspondence with the Board of Management

Any written correspondence for the attention of the Board of Management must be supplied to the Chairperson of the Board of Management only. Any deviation from this may be deemed prejudicial and outside the scope of the agreement.