Concerns and Complaints

The following is information on how parents/guardians and students over the age of 18 can notify NGG/NIS in case of concerns or complaints, as well as how the school handles these enquiries.  

In general, for concerns and complaints, the class's parent representative or school Board members should not act as an intermediary between the home and the school. Parent Representatives or the Board are not a "complaints centre" or coordinator of such enquiries unless the Parent Representative/Board member or his or her child is directly involved. 

Inquiries of concern and complaints must follow the procedure below and a request directly to the Chair of the Board without prior consideration by the Principal will be rejected unless it is a complaint against the Principal. 

Very special rules and procedures issued by the Cambridge Assessment International Education apply to enquiries about results of IGCSE examinations. The same applies to complaints in connection with final grades. These are therefore not covered by the following. 

Complaints about a sanction imposed by the school (e.g., expulsion of a pupil for a shorter or longer period or discharge of a learner) are dealt with in a manner other than those set out herein. See the school's code of conduct. 

Concern

A concern is a verbal or written request from the home about doubts in connection with a case or incident, which is considered to be of such importance that the home wants an answer/feedback from the school about this.

The verbal or written enquiry about a concern is addressed to the relevant teacher, teaching team or leadership and preferably immediately after the case/incident and no later than one month after. It is recommended to go to the teacher/team in the first instance.

In the event of a concern addressed to the leadership, the sender may remain anonymous to e.g. teachers, other students and parents unless permission is given otherwise.

A concern about very serious cases of, for example, suspicion of mistreatment or neglect of one of the learners may be passed on to the social services if the principal deems that it falls within the school's notification obligation.

An enquiry about a concern can be made by phone, e-mail or in person.

The enquiry is processed, and a response is given, which either resolves the case in a satisfactory manner or ends with a formal complaint.

A response to a concern can be expected within one month of receipt.

A concern about the school's leadership should be addressed to the school's Chair of the Board.

Complaint

A complaint is a written enquiry that expresses dissatisfaction with the actions (or lack of action) taken by the school's leadership or staff.

Anonymous complaints affecting named employees or groups of employees will not be processed. This is done on the recommendation of the employees' unions and in the interests of legal certainty for the persons involved. Anonymous complaints against named students and/or parents will also not be addressed. The persons involved in the complaint will thus be informed of who is complaining and what is being complained about.

A complaint where the complainant wishes to remain anonymous to the complainant(s) is considered solely a matter of concern.

A complaint must be in writing and sent to the Principal or others in the school's leadership immediately after the incident and no later than three months after.

A complaint is investigated by the Principal. In this context, the Principal must act as an independent third party. A rejection of the complaint or a decision unsatisfactory to the complainant may be forwarded to the Chair of the Board.

A complaint against the school's leadership should be addressed directly to the school's Chair of the Board.