Speaker: Stuart Westley, former General Secretary of AGBIS, former Master of Haileybury, Governor and currently working as a consultant for AGBIS.

Parents’ entitlement to have their complaints heard and determined according to an established procedure is set out in the Independent Schools Standards Regulations (2014) and amplified in a DfE guidance note of 2019. Schools’ Complaints Procedures are required to comply with those regulations. They usually do.

The third and final stage of the complaints process is a hearing before a panel of (usually) three people. The panel acts on behalf of the ‘Proprietor’, meaning, in most cases, the Governing Body. The panel is usually assembled by the Chair of Governors; the regulations require that one member of the panel is independent of the management and running of the school.

Panel hearings are becoming more frequent, they can be time consuming, including for the Clerk, to whom falls the responsibility of arranging the hearing, including assembling the papers. Some panel hearings are stressful.

When a complaint reaches stage 3 there must be two governors able and willing to sit on the panel. Not all governors would consider themselves qualified to do so; some would feel they lack the understanding necessary to come to fair, impartial findings consistently with the requirements of the regulations.

The webinar will provide a lay person’s guide to hearings, explaining how they should be conducted and the common errors which need to be recognised and avoided. The webinar will be of value also to Clerks, recognising that their role administering the hearing is crucial. The intended outcome will be that when governors are needed for a panel hearing they will have the understanding and confidence to agree to participate.

By booking this event, you agree to AGBIS’ Event Terms and Conditions