How to review your staff grievance procedures

Last reviewed on 24 April 2023
Statutory/mandatory for: Maintained schools Academies Free schools Independent schools Sixth-form colleges Pupil referral units Non-maintained special schools

Understand how to review your school's staff grievance procedures, including questions you can ask. Save time with our model policy to see what good looks like.

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Contents

  1. Key facts
  2. What this policy needs to do
  3. 3 key questions to challenge this policy
  4. Take a look at our model policy
  5. Examples from schools and trusts

What this policy needs to do

It should cover:

  • What a grievance is and when the policy should, and shouldn't, be used
  • How the school will deal with grievances fairly
  • How employees should raise grievances, including:
    • That the employee should aim to resolve the grievance informally first
    • Procedures to raise the grievance formally, including what to do if the grievance is about the headteacher
  • How the school will investigate a grievance, including: 
    • Who will conduct the investigation
    • How long it will take
  • The grievance hearing, including:
    • Who will be involved and the time frame 
    • The employee's right to be accompanied by a companion, and who this companion can be
  • How the school will communicate the decision to the employee
  • The employee's right to appeal the decision, and how they should do this
  • How the school will keep any records 

3 key questions to challenge this policy

Your policy should be in line with these

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