Welcome to Term 3!  

Student Concerns – Social, Emotional and Academic

Occasionally, parents and carers may have concerns when things at school influence your children.  Home is a “safe place” and this is where children are most likely to raise their feelings about their friends, their school work or how they are feeling about a particular incident.  

The school yard reflects society because it teaches children the things they need to know for life – negotiation, collaboration, give and take, conflict resolution, navigating mean words and comments, and so on.  As much as we would do anything to protect our children from negative feelings or negative incidents at school, things do occur that we need to deal with.  

Our staff rely on our parents to keep us informed when incidents occur that require further attention or investigation.  Our teachers will always try to get to the bottom of things and assist where they can.  Please always inform teachers about any concerns you may have.  It is always best to deal with issues as quickly as possible.  We can’t cater for our student wellbeing effectively without your help.  In my experience, conversations can solve small issues quickly, before they grow into bigger issues that require more time and effort.

The Townsville Catholic Education Office has a documented process for managing concerns and complaints.  The flowchart below outlines this process.

Townsville Catholic Education will adopt the principles of procedural fairness and natural justice throughout the complaint management process. This requires a fair and proper procedure to be used, which involves disclosure, a reasonable opportunity to respond and impartiality to reach a fair and correct decision. 

It is important that all complaints:

• Are handled in a positive and transparent way.
• Are recorded at every level, properly documented and reported to the Principal or delegated person as soon as practicable. Documents related to the complaint are kept and stored in accordance with Townsville Catholic Education Office procedures.  
• Can be made to the Principal or their delegate of the school/college or to Townsville Catholic Education Office if the complaint involves a Principal.
• Are resolved with mutual respect and clear communication.
• Where possible, are resolved at the first point of contact. If this does not occur the receipt of the complaint will be acknowledged within five working days by telephone, in person, by email or in writing.

Procedure for people making a complaint

During the course of a child’s school years, a parent/carer, student or other persons may have cause to make a complaint about school/college decisions, processes, management, conduct of staff and/or students, or have other general concerns.

Step 1: Discuss the complaint with the class teacher (Resolve at the first level)

If a complaint is with the child’s teacher or relates to an issue concerning the child’s experience at school/college, make an appointment with that teacher as soon as possible through the school/college administration. Discuss the complaint with the teacher and give the teacher an opportunity to suggest a solution. The teacher will make a record of the complaint and report the meeting and any outcomes to the Principal or their delegate. Together, parents/carers and teachers should be able to resolve the problem at this level.

Step 2: Discuss the complaint with the Principal or their delegate (Seek support to resolve a complaint)

If the complaint remains unresolved, make an appointment to see the school/college Principal or their delegate to discuss the issue further. Alternatively, a parent/carer and the teacher may agree to ask the Principal or their delegate to act as a go-between in informal conflict resolution in an attempt to resolve the problem.

If the complaint relates to more general school/college matters, the complaint should be raised directly with the Principal or their delegate. The Principal may refer the complaint to a delegate such as the Deputy Principal. Complaints can be lodged in person, by telephone, writing or via email. 

Complaints about a Principal should be directed to an Education Consultant or Director, School Development Services at the Townsville Catholic Education Office.

Step 3: Contact Townsville Catholic Education Office (Refer the matter to an external source)

If the complaint has been discussed with the Principal or their delegate and is still not resolved, please contact the Townsville Catholic Education Office. Complaints may be lodged by telephone, email or in writing. The name of the complainant and the nature of the complaint will be reported back to the Principal. Townsville Catholic Education Office staff will then work with all parties to seek a resolution.

Anonymous complaints will be only acted upon if enough information has been provided to allow for follow-up with the relevant Principal or their delegate. 

Step 4: Independent review (Seeking external intervention)

If the complaint is not resolved through these formal processes, it can be lodged with the Non-State School Accreditation Board (NSSAB).

Best wishes

Kath