Complaints Procedure
Introduction
MidKent College aims to provide a high quality service to students and potential students but recognises that occasionally things do go wrong. The levels of service that you may expect from the College are set out in the College Charter - which can be found in the Policy Information booklet. In many cases problems or misunderstandings can be dealt with by discussion between staff and students/ potential students but in other instances it may be appropriate to pursue the matter in a more formal way.
This procedure is intended as a guide to all students and potential students, demonstrating the way that complaints should be made and how they should be resolved in an effective way. Whatever your complaint, you can expect it to be dealt with promptly and fairly and in accordance with the College’s official policies and procedures. If you are thinking about making a complaint you may wish to consult the College Quality Office for advice before doing so.
This complaint procedure is part of the College’s process of quality review and improvement. Complaints are considered as useful feedback rather than criticism and are always valued. If you have any comments to make about this procedure please contact the College quality office.
The Complaints Procedure
Step 1
If you have a complaint, in the first instance, discuss the problem with the member of staff most directly concerned.
Step 2
If, having discussed the matter with the relevant individual you remain dissatisfied, or if your complaint concerns a member of staff or is otherwise of a confidential nature, you should contact the College’s Quality Office. Contact can be made in several ways:
Completion of a feedback form
Feedback forms can be collected from all college reception desks or you can request one to be e-mailed or posted (Please see annex A for further detail on the process of registering a comment of complaint).
Registering a complaint by letter
All letters of complaint should be sent to the Quality Office at the following address:
Quality Office
MidKent College
Maidstone Campus
Oakwood Park
Tonbridge Road
Maidstone
Kent.
ME16 8AQ
When making a written complaint, it is helpful if you give as much information as possible (including personal details) and include steps that you have taken in pursuing your complaint, mention any discussions that you have already had about the matter, attach copies
of any earlier correspondence, and state clearly what remedy, if any, you are seeking.
Registering a complaint by e-mail
Complaints can also be sent to the Quality Office at the following address:
When registering a complaint by e-mail, students should include the same information as required in a letter of complaint. See ‘registering a complaint by letter’ above for details.
Registering a complaint by telephone
To register a complaint by telephone students should contact the Quality Office on 01622 625939. On contact a member of the Quality team will answer any questions about the complaint process and take the details of the complaint. Unfortunately the Quality Office cannot guarantee that a member of staff will be available to receive the phone call. If contact cannot be made by telephone it is advised that the student follows one of the alternative methods.
Step 3
The first record of a complaint will be acknowledged by the Quality Office within 3 working days of receipt.
Step 4
On receipt of your complaint the quality team will contact the most appropriate senior member of staff and an investigation will take place. Either the Quality Office or senior staff member investigating the complaint will contact you as soon as their investigation is complete. This would normally be within 10 working days but can sometimes take longer. If at any time, however, you would like information concerning the investigation you may contact the Quality Office directly.
Wherever possible you will be contacted by telephone with the results of the investigation into your complaint. At this time you will be asked whether you are satisfied with the outcome and will have the opportunity to ask any questions regarding the investigation. If you are satisfied with the outcome the complaint will be closed.
(If any complaint is considered to be of a serious nature the complaint will be immediately brought to the attention of the Principal who will lead any investigation).
Step 5
If you are not satisfied with the findings of our investigation you may request the matter to be re-investigated. At this point your complaint and findings of the primary investigation will be passed to an appropriate member College Senior Management Team for reconsideration. During a re-investigation it is likely that you will be invited to give more detailed information.
Step 6
If you are not satisfied with the conclusion of the re-investigation you may request further action. At this time it is the duty of the Quality Manager to assess the way in which investigations have taken place and will decide whether your complaint should be presented to the Board of Governors.
Step 7
If you are still not satisfied you may forward your complaint to the local Learning and Skills Council. The college will provide you with the name of the contact and the address.
Step 8
All correspondence will be recorded by the Quality Office and reported to college staff on at least an annual basis. For reasons of confidentiality the names of all complainants will not be included in any report.