Complaints Policy

Scope of the Policy

This policy is provided for London college of Excellence customers, including learners and staff members who are using or delivering the courses or qualifications London college of Excellence offer.

Location of the policy

This policy is available for all staff members and learners to access.

Communication of the policy

It is important that staff involved in the management, delivery, assessment and quality assurance of TQUK Qualifications and learners undertaking these qualifications are fully aware of the contents of the policy.

Review of the policy

London college of Excellence will review the policy annually and revise it as and when required in response to customer feedback, changes in practices, actions required by TQUK or changes in legislation. Our review will ensure that our procedures continue to be consistent with the regulatory criteria and are applied properly and fairly in arriving at judgements.

Policy Statement

London college of Excellence is committed to providing a quality service for its learners and staff members, working in an open and accountable way that builds the trust and respect. One of the ways in which we can continue to improve our service is by listening and responding to the views of our staff members, customers and learners, and in particular by responding positively to complaints, and by putting mistakes right.

Statement of Principles

London college of Excellence aim to ensure that:-

• Making a complaint is as easy as possible
• We treat a complaint as a clear expression of dissatisfaction with our service, which calls for an immediate response
• We deal with it promptly, politely and confidentially
• We respond in the right way - for example, with an explanation or apology
• We learn from complaints, use them to improve our service, and review annually our complaints policy and procedures

We recognise that many concerns will be raised informally, and dealt with quickly. Our aims are to:-

• resolve informal concerns quickly
• enable mediation between the complainant and the individual to whom the complaint has been referred

An informal approach to dealing with a complaint may be appropriate; however, if concerns cannot be satisfactorily resolved informally, then the formal complaints procedure must be followed.

Definition: A complaint can be defines as 'any expression of dissatisfaction that relates to London college of Excellence and that requires a formal response'.

Purpose: The formal complaints procedure is intended to ensure that all complaints are handled fairly, consistently and wherever possible resolved to the complainant's satisfaction.

London college of Excellence’s responsibilities are to:

• Acknowledge the formal complaint in writing
• Respond within the stated period of time
• Deal reasonably and sensitively with the complaint
• Take action where appropriate

Confidentiality: Except in exceptional circumstances, every attempt will be made to ensure that both the complainant and London college of Excellence maintain confidentiality. However the circumstances giving rise to the complaint may be such that it may not be possible to maintain confidentiality (with each complaint judged on its own merit). Should this be the case, the situation will be explained to the complainant.

If a complaint is unable to be resolved informally, the complainant should write/email their complaint to a relevant London college of Excellence member, so that they have a chance to put things right. In the letter/email, it should set out the details of the complainant’s complaint, the Consequences for them as a result, and the remedy they are seeking.

Complaints will be acknowledged by London college of Excellence within 2 working days of receipt of a complaint. Complaints will be investigated by relevant London college of Excellence staff member.

As part of the investigation regarding a complaint, a London college of Excellence staff member may undertake interviews with the relevant people involved. A complainant will be informed of the investigation outcome and decision within 10 days of a complaint being acknowledged (this may be extended, depending on the nature of the complaint).

If a complainant is not satisfied with the initial response to a complaint, they can write to London college of Excellence Centre Manager/Chief Exec and ask for their complaint and the response from London College of Excellence to be reviewed. London College of Excellence Centre Manager/Chief Executive will acknowledge a complaint within 2 working days of the receipt of a complaint. Responses to complaints will be within 10 workings days of the acknowledgement.

London College of Excellence aim is to resolve all matters as quickly as possible. However, some issues will be more complex and therefore may require longer to be fully investigated. If a matter requires more detailed investigation, a complainant will receive an interim response describing what is being done to deal with the matter, and when a full reply can be expected and from whom.

If a complainant is not satisfied with the subsequent reply from London College of Excellence Centre Manager/Chief Executive then they have the option to contact TQUK with regards to their complaint. TQUK will undertake an investigation into any complaints received, in line with TQUK’s Complaints Policy.

All documents relating to a complaint must be saved and stored securely in the centre. TQUK must be given access to any information or documents regarding any complaints when requested.