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Feedback and Complaints

We are committed to maintaining a high standard of service when carrying out our functions. We welcome your feedback. We want to hear from you if we have done something well or if you have a suggestion for how we could do something better.

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service or work we would also like to hear about it so that we can put it right.

You can also make a complaint against a registered teacher if you have a serious concern about the conduct of that teacher.

Making a complaint about GTC Scotland

We try to make the process of making a complaint easy. Follow the steps below. You can also find this information in our leaflet:

Complaints Leaflet - Making a complaint about GTC Scotland

How do I make a complaint?

Stage One

If you have already been dealing with a member of staff or department, start by contacting that person or department and describing the problem to them. If you do not know who to contact, email customerservices@gtcs.org.uk and they will advise you.

Often complaints can be resolved immediately and informally in this way. If the matter can't be resolved, or if you are not satisfied with the response, proceed to Stage Two.

Stage Two

Contact our Complaints Officer (complaints@gtcs.org.uk) and explain why you want your complaint looked at again. At this point you will be asked to complete our Complaints Form (at the foot of this page). We will aim to acknowledge receipt of your completed form within 3 working days.

The Complaints Officer will normally investigate and respond to your complaint. If he/she is unable to do so for any reason, he/she will be entitled to appoint another manager to do so. We will aim to send you a full response within twenty working days. If this isn't going to be possible, we'll write and let you know when you should expect to receive a full response.

Stage Three

If you're not satisfied with the outcome of Stage Two, you can contact our Chief Executive to request a review of your complaint. The Chief Executive will aim to acknowledge your request for a review within three working days of receiving it.

If for any reason the Chief Executive is unable to review your complaint, he may appoint another appropriate person to carry this out. This would normally be a member of the Senior Management Team.

The Chief Executive or other person undertaking the review will aim to respond in full within twenty working days, giving details of what has been done and the results of their enquiries. If for some reason this is not possible within this timescale, they will let you know what is happening and when you may expect to receive a full response.

Matters out with the Complaints Procedure

If you are a registered teacher or applicant whose case is being considered or heard within the committee process and you wish to complain about a related matter, this would need to be dealt with via our appeals process.
If you wish to submit a complaint against a registered teacher, please visit the Teacher Regulation area of our website.

Is there a time limit that applies to complaints?

We do not consider or investigate complaints which relate to matters which happened more than 12 months before the complaint is made.

What if I am not satisfied with the response from the Council?

If you are not satisfied with the response to your complaint which you receive from the Council, once it has gone through all our internal stages, under the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Act 2002 you have the right to take up your complaint with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman can be contacted as follows:

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
Freepost EH641
Edinburgh
EH3 0BR

Tel: 0800 377 7330
Text: 0790 049 4372
Fax: 0800 377 7331
Email: ask@spso.org.uk
Website: www.spso.org.uk

Now, complete our Complaints Form

Complaints Form

* Indicates required information

SECTION 1 - PERSON MAKING THE COMPLAINT

Name:*

Address:*

Postcode:*

Tel (Daytime):

Tel (Evening):

SECTION 2 - STATEMENT BY PERSON MAKING THE COMPLAINT

Please tell us about your complaint. Please state the key areas of your complaint. It is open to you to provide us with additional documents supporting these specific areas if you wish.

SECTION 3 - PREVIOUS STAGE OF COMPLAINT (STAGE ONE) Please complete the following concerning the handling of your complaint at Stage One of the Council's complaint's procedure.

My complaint was dealt with by: Name:

Department:

Please state the details of the response which you received from the member of staff or department:

Please upload copies of any responses which you have received:

Please state the reason(s) why in your view the matter has not been resolved satisfactorily and/or you are dissatisfied with the response which you received:

Making a complaint against a teacher

Members of the public, including parents and pupils, can raise a complaint against a registered teacher if they have serious concerns about the conduct of that teacher.

In order to do this a Complaints Form must be completed and submitted detailing:

The allegation(s) being made
the information available to support the allegation(s)
how it is believed that the allegation(s) impact upon the person's fitness to teach.

Note that the action that can be taken by GTC Scotland against a teacher has very serious consequences and it is only appropriate to submit a complaint where you have a genuine concern that a teacher is not fit to teach.

It is generally expected that a complaint will have been raised, in the first instance, with the school and/or local authority concerned.

Find out more about Making a complaint.

We care about what you think. Use this form to give us feedback of any aspect of our work or services:

Feedback Form

* Indicates required information

About you

In order to deal with your feedback we need to know a bit about you.

Please answer the following questions so that we can contact you.

Your name:*

Your email:*

Please confirm your email address:*

Your feedback

Please now provide us with details about the type of feedback you're giving.

What type of feedback are you giving?

What's your feedback regarding?

If you've selected 'other' please give us more information about the nature of your feedback.

Please tell us about the feedback. By providing as much information as possible you'll help us direct your feedback to the most appropriate person/ department.

NOTES

You can view further information about providing Feedback and Complaints.