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Comments, Compliment & Complaints

To reflect our commitment to working with you, it is imperative that if you have any concerns these are shared and discussed with us as a school. We work hard to make sure you feel listened to as parents or carers, and find many difficulties can be easily resolved through the opportunity for direct discussion. However if you are dissatisfied about our action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by us, you can submit a complaint.

To explain our complaints service and how the process works please go to:

http://publications.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/dataset/072f6c0d-955a-4f4c-a228-568e30884391/resource/52439609-98b5-45eb-b1e6-0d418371ba27/download/full-complaints-procedure-customerv6.pdf

Where complainants continue to be dissatisfied with a stage 2 response, complaints can be referred to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. Further information and guidance can be found at:

http://aberdeenshire.gov.uk/contact-us/have-your-say/have-your-say-guide/

Support for parents/carers

For more information on Support and Advocacy contact:

Enquire, Princess House

5 Shandwick Place

Edinburgh EH2 4RG

Helpline: 0845 123 23 03

Email: info@enquire.org.uk

Website: www.enquire.org.uk

For local advocacy contact:

Advocacy North East

Thainstone Business Centre

Inverurie

Aberdeenshire

AB51 5TB

Tel: 01467 622674

Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance can be reached at:

Website: https://www.siaa.org.uk/

Independent Mediation Services

This service is free and involves an independent third party who helps to resolve disagreements between education authority and parents or young people. A local independent mediation service can be accessed at:

Children 1st

15 Frithside Street

Fraserburgh

Aberdeenshire

AB43 9AR

Tel no 01346 512733

Fax no 01346 512810

Email fraserburgh@children1st.org.uk

Additionally, information for the Scottish Child Law Centre can be found at:

www.sclc.org.uk

Insurance

No insurance is held by Aberdeenshire Education & Children’s Service that automatically compensates school pupils for personal accident, whether an accident occurs within or outwith the boundary of the school. Insurance of this nature, e.g. personal accident, life, private medical, is seen as a parental responsibility. It is your responsibility as a parent to insure your child for personal accident or death if you feel this is appropriate.

Aberdeenshire Education & Children’s Services does hold third party liability insurance, which indemnifies the Council against claims from third parties, e.g. parents on behalf of pupils who have suffered injury, illness, loss or damage arising from the negligence of the Council or its employees. In these circumstances all claims are handled on behalf of the Council by external Insurers and Claim Handlers and compensation is dealt with on a strictly legal liability basis.

The Authority has a duty of care in respect of pupils in its charge during school hours and as such has to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of all primary and secondary pupils. However, it is thought that secondary pupils should be more mature and, therefore, a lesser degree of supervision would be sufficient.

It may be necessary to provide supervision for primary children on school premises before or after normal school hours if their early arrival or late departure is due to the timing of official school transport. This general duty of care continues if the children go home by way of school transport and ends when the child gets off the bus, at which point the parents then become responsible.

Parents may wish to consider their own insurance arrangements in terms of appropriate extensions to their household insurance or arranging their own separate covers.

School Off Site Excursion Insurance

Aberdeenshire Council has in place a School Excursion Insurance policy, whereby both pupils and teachers are covered for offsite activities / trips both within the UK and abroad (offsite meaning off the school premises). The policy covers medical expenses, loss of baggage, cancellation, curtailment and change of itinerary (along with other sundry benefits) etc. for worldwide trips and adventurous activities (including winter sports).

If personal items such as jewellery, phones/tablets, watches etc. are taken on a school trip then these are taken at an individual’s own risk and are not covered under the policy, unless damage or loss is caused by an Aberdeenshire Council employee. Should a parent or carer want such items to be covered then this would need to be arranged by parents/carers independently of the school.  In addition to this policy, Aberdeenshire Council also holds Public Liability insurance cover for any injury or loss incurred by individuals due to the negligence of the Council or its employees (including volunteers).

Data we hold and what we do with it

Education authorities and the Scottish Government collected data about pupils on paper forms for many years.  We now work together with schools to transfer data electronically through the ScotXed programme. This has two functions: acting as a ‘hub’ for supporting data exchange within the education system in Scotland and the analysis of data for statistical purposes within the Scottish Government itself.

How Does Aberdeenshire Council Hold and Store Pupil Data

Aberdeenshire Council use a system called SEEMIS which is used in all local authorities in Scotland and is subject to independent scrutiny to ensure that it is a secure environment for holding such data. Our schools update the data held in the system when they have an education update to make to a pupil’s record or when they receive advice from a parent or guardian either through the Annual Data Check exercise or when they are made aware of a change of circumstances at any other time in the year.

Parental Access to Records

SAR – Subject Access Request information

Subject Access Requests are the formal process by which individuals can seek information held about them (or their children) by the council. The requests can be broad, in terms of everything that is held, or quite specific – everything held by a specific department, establishment, team or individual. We have a legal requirement to provide the information under the Data Protection Act 1998. An SAR is wider than an Educational Record in that it will include all personal data held about a child not just their educational record.  Further information can be found at:

https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/personal-information/

The Pupils’ Educational Records (Scotland) Regulations 2003 means that you can get access to your child’s records.  Details of the regulations and process for obtaining information specific to pupils are available by contacting the school directly or can be found at:

https://education.gov.scot/parentzone/my-school/general-school-information/My%20child’s%20record

ScotXed

If you have any concerns about the national ScotXed data collections you can email the Head of Schools Analysis, Mick Wilson, at mick.wilson@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or write to The ScotXed Support Office, Area 2D, Victoria Quay, Leith, EH6 6QQ.  Alternative versions of this page are available, on request from the ScotXed Support Office, in other languages, audio tape, Braille and large print.

Information Sharing

In terms of effective communication, including sharing relevant and proportionate information, where appropriate, Aberdeenshire Council in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Human Rights Act 1998 adheres to this as part of our current routine practice.

Freedom of Information

The law gives everybody a right to access all recorded information held by the council. This is called Freedom of Information or FOI. Anyone can use this right, and information can only be withheld where Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) expressly permits it.