Concerns
Raising Concerns and Complaints
At Tahuna Normal Intermediate School, anyone who wants to raise a concern or complaint should follow this procedure. For an overview, see Concerns and Complaints Process
- Concerns or complaints should be raised with the school in the first instance. Serious matters may also be raised with external agencies directly (e.g. police, Oranga Tamariki).
- If a member of the school community has a concern or complaint about a student who is not their child, they should contact the school. They should not contact the student or their parents/caregivers directly.
- Anyone with a concern or complaint may seek advice or support (e.g. a friend, relative, lawyer, union, employee assistance programme, counselling or mediation services). A support person and/or a representative may help raise a concern or make a complaint and may attend arranged meetings. A support person and/or representative is expected to respect privacy and confidentiality, as with other people involved in the process.
- We expect all concerns and complaints to be raised in a respectful way, in accordance with our conduct expectations and inclusive school culture. The school will assess and respond to all concerns and complaints in a timely, fair, and respectful manner.
- Concerns and complaints should be raised as soon as possible to allow the school to respond effectively. There is no time limit on when a concern or complaint may be raised with the school. A concern or complaint relating to an historic event may require a more complex investigation and response. This includes historic
sensitive claims.
How to raise a concern or complaint
Concerns and complaints can be raised verbally or in writing. If a concern or complaint raised verbally cannot be resolved through discussion, the person who receives the information may make a written record of the discussion or ask that the concern or complaint be received in writing.
- Anyone who has a concern or complaint should raise it as soon as possible with an appropriate person at the school. This is usually with a staff member who is directly involved (e.g. classroom teacher, teacher in charge of a programme). The person who receives the concern or complaint may refer the matter to a more appropriate staff member, which may include senior staff, the principal, or the board.
- Serious matters can be raised directly with the principal, who may escalate the matter to the board as required.
- A concern or complaint about the principal should be raised with the board chair. botchair@tahuna.school.nz
- A concern or complaint about the board chair should be raised with another board member. botchair@tahuna.school.nz
If a person feels their concern or complaint has not been resolved after receiving a response, they may escalate the matter to the principal or board.
We encourage staff to raise employment-related concerns with senior staff in the first instance. Staff may raise a personal grievance if the matter meets the requirements of the Employment Relations Act 2000. See Personal Grievance.
If a person has a concern about certain types of serious wrongdoing and fits the definition of a discloser they may choose to instead make a protected disclosure. See Making a Protected Disclosure.
Anyone who wants to raise a sensitive claim at the school should raise this with the board. The board may need to refer the matter to other agencies, as appropriate (e.g. police).
Providing information
Information provided as part of a concern or complaint should be as complete as possible, including the names of people involved and dates of events, if appropriate, and any steps taken to resolve the matter. Contact details should also be provided.
In circumstances where a person does not want to disclose their identity, they should indicate this and explain their reasoning but should be aware that it may not be possible for the school to maintain their anonymity, or to effectively investigate and respond to anonymous concerns or complaints. The school is likely to be restricted in the actions and responses we can take in relation to matters that are raised anonymously, and may consult with NZSBA or seek legal advice.
What happens next
The school aims to acknowledge and respond to concerns and complaints promptly. For information about how the school will respond to a concern or complaint, see Assessing and Responding to Concerns and Complaints.
If a complaint is raised about a specific person, we inform that person at an early stage to ensure fairness and meet the requirements of natural justice, unless there are exceptional circumstances (e.g. safety concerns).
It is likely that a school representative will meet with the person who raised a concern or complaint and any person who is the subject of their concern or complaint.
We expect parties involved to:
- respect privacy and confidentiality
- allow the school to follow our procedures
- not communicate with each other until next steps are agreed and/or notified (this applies both in and out of school).
If a person who has raised a concern or complaint decides to withdraw it, the school may need to consult with NZSBA or seek legal advice, as the matter raised may still require consideration and response.
A full and comprehensive list of policies on concerns and complaints can be found by going to the Board of Trustees page, scroll to the bottom and sign into School Docs.