Direct contact of governors- best practice?

[AmberRoseGold]

My DD is at a disappointing prep. We would like to contact the governors but no email address is available. We have to go through the school office. I suspect that this is deliberate, but would like to know if it is usual? Or poor practice. Thanks for any advice.

I had to complain about an academy my child was at (we've since left that school as it was shit) - I sent it in in a sealed envelope marked for the chair of governors, inside another envelope with a covering letter asking for it to be passed on via the office. I'm not sure how well it got forwarded on like that, and we never got a satisfactory resolution (hence why we're no longer at the school) but that was the best way I could find to do it.

You need to look at the schools complaints policy - it should be on their website.

Most schools require you to start with a conversation with the class teacher, then if you are still unhappy, contact the head of year or key stage, head teacher and finally the governors.

It’s good practice because it means governors don’t end up being asked to deal with complaints that could have been more appropriately dealt by someone earlier in the chain.

If you have a complaint you need to follow the schools complaints procedure very carefully. Generally, if you contact a governor unofficially about something that leads to a complaint it means the governor is then unable to hear your complaint officially or sit on any panels.
(Im a clerk in the office - my names on the complaint procedure - id expect the correspondence to come through me, at the correct stage, so i can draw together an independent panel).

Generally, if you contact a governor unofficially about something that leads to a complaint it means the governor is then unable to hear your complaint officially or sit on any panels.

That’s interesting - I didn’t know that. I wish someone would tell parents, because so many think if you go straight to the governors it means your complaint is more valid and will be more likely to have the outcome you want.

We tell the governors. They are supposed to say can i direct you to the schools complaints policy before the person gets going! It could be the letter OP wants to send is at the right stage. I dont know how her prep school is set up.

All of this is very interesting. Thank you. We have been told by other disgruntled parents (who have also complained alot and been ignored) that Chair of Governors is asking for general feedback. Thank you

If the chair of governors is asking for general feedback, wouldnt they do it in a more transparent manner than telling you friend to tell her friends. That in itself seems worrying.

I think that there is gate keeping. There is a fair bit that seems worrying tbh. Sigh

I think that there is gate keeping.

Have you checked the complaints policy yet, OP? What you call “gate-keeping” in such an obviously disparaging way is probably the school’s process for ensuring that every complaints doesn’t go straight to the CoG only for him / her to have to send it back down the chain to be dealt with by the person best placed to do so.

Spoke to Chair of Governors who was really nice and also does suspect that there is gate keeping. They are going to look at asking for contact details to be put on the webpage. So that was positive at least.
My obvious disparagement is down to butter experience of years of over promising and under delivering- it’s a fairly ineffectual school. We are counting down to our natural end point (I suspect that this is mutual as there appears to be very little appetite for change or challenge for even very obvious improvements).