Effective Date: April 2026
Last Reviewed: April 2026
This page covers the complaints policy relating to School Improvement Liverpool Ltd, trading as SIL.
We, of course, hope that you are completely happy with our service, but if something does go wrong, we would like to know about it, so that we can put things right and ensure it does not happen again.
If you are not happy with any aspect of the services you receive from SIL please contact the relevant service manager with your concerns in the first instance.
In the event of continued dissatisfaction, SIL operates a complaints procedure that will ensure formal complaints are investigated and managed appropriately.
SIL views complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve for the future, as well as a chance to put things right for the person or organisation that has made the complaint.
Our policy is to:
A complaint is a formal expression of dissatisfaction about any aspect of SIL. A complaint can be received verbally, by phone, by email or in writing. This policy does not cover complaints from staff, who should use SIL’s Grievance policies.
It is important to establish the difference between a concern and a complaint. Taking informal concerns seriously at the earliest stage will reduce the likelihood of them developing into formal complaints.
Any concerns about our work should be reported to the relevant member of staff or a manager as soon as possible, so they can quickly understand the concerns and try to put things right.
If you are not happy with the response to your concern and/or you want to make a formal complaint, please follow the procedure below.
Individuals wishing to make a complaint should contact the manager of the relevant service. Alternatively, they can contact us:
By writing to:
Head of Operations and People
SIL
Second Floor
Liverpool Innovation Park (LIP)
Edge Lane
L7 9NJ
or by e-mail to [email protected]
Verbal complaints may be made by phone to 0151 233 3901 or in person at the reception desk in Toxteth Annexe.
The complaint should include the complainant's name and address, the nature and date of the complaint and how they want to see it resolved.
Complaints received by telephone or in person will be noted. The person who receives a telephone or “in-person” complaint should:
However, received, each complaint will be reported to the Head of Operations and People and recorded in the complaints register. Complainants will receive an acknowledgement within 3 working days of receipt.
Once a complaint has been received and recorded, the Head of Operations and People will delegate an appropriate person to investigate and take appropriate action.
If the complaint relates to a specific person, they will be informed and given a fair opportunity to respond.
The person investigating the complaint will contact the complainant within a week to explain that they have been asked to look into the complaint and to advise when a reply can be expected. A copy of this complaints procedure should be included.
Ideally, complainants should receive a definitive reply within four weeks. If this is not possible because, for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report will be sent with an indication of when a full reply can be expected.
The reply to the complainant should describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint.
If the complainant feels that their complaint has not been considered and resolved at stage two, they can request that the complaint is reviewed by the CEO. The request to move to stage three must provide detail of the specific issues the complainant feels were not addressed.
The request for CEO review should be acknowledged within a week of receiving it. The acknowledgement should say when the complainant can expect a reply.
The CEO may investigate the facts of the case in person or delegate a suitably senior officer to do so. This may involve reviewing the paperwork of the case and speaking with the officer who dealt with the complaint at stage two.
If the complaint relates to a specific officer, they should be informed and given a further opportunity to respond.
The officer who dealt with the original complaint at stage one should be kept informed of what is happening.
Ideally, complainants should receive a definitive reply within four weeks. If this is not possible because, for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply can be expected.
Whether the complaint is upheld or not, the reply to the complainant should describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint.
The decision taken at this stage three is final.
All complaint information will be handled sensitively, telling only those who need to know and following any relevant data protection requirements.
Overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation lies with the CEO of SIL.The procedure may be varied for good reason. This may be necessary to avoid a conflict of interest, for example, a complaint about the CEO would rule them out of a role in considering a stage two complaint.
Complaints are an important tool which will allow SIL to learn about the services we provide. They provide a useful source of information about how customers see our services and how we are serving them. To ensure we can learn from complaints the following data will be collected:
Anonymised complaints information will be reviewed regularly by the Senior Leadership Team and reported to the Board annually. Wherever possible the data will be used to improve and develop our service.
