We want every pupil, family and organisation we work with to have a good experience. When something goes wrong, we want to hear about it so we can put it right and learn from it. Raising a complaint will never affect the way we treat you or the pupil.
Who can complain
Anyone affected by our service can make a complaint, including:
- parents and carers
- pupils
- schools and trusts
- alternative provision (AP) settings
- local authorities
- our tutors
- people who have applied to tutor with us
How to complain
Email hello@covetutors.co.uk, or write to us at our registered office address, shown in the footer of this website.
If you would find it easier to explain your complaint on a call, tell us in your email and we will arrange one. If you need any adjustment to take part in the process, please let us know.
What we need from you
To help us look into your complaint quickly, please tell us:
- your name and the best way to contact you
- the name of the pupil, if the complaint is about lessons
- what happened, when, and who was involved
- any emails, notes or other information that will help
- what you would like us to do to put things right
Please raise your complaint as soon as you can, ideally within three months of what happened. It is easier to look into events while they are fresh. We will still consider older complaints where we reasonably can.
Stage 1: informal resolution
- We acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days.
- The person best placed to help will look into it. This may involve speaking to the tutor or anyone else involved.
- We aim to resolve your complaint and reply to you within 10 working days. If we need longer, we will tell you why and when you can expect a reply.
Most complaints are resolved at this stage.
Stage 2: formal review by our founder
If you are not happy with our response at stage 1, reply within 20 working days and ask for a formal review.
- Our founder, Naomi, will review your complaint, including everything that happened at stage 1.
- She may contact you to understand your concerns more fully.
- She will send you a written response within 15 working days of your request, setting out what she found, her decision and any action we will take.
The stage 2 response is our final response.
If you are still unhappy
What you can do next depends on who you are.
Schools, AP settings and local authorities
Follow the dispute resolution route in your contract or programme agreement with us, and our terms of business.
Parents, carers and other consumers
- You can get free, impartial advice from the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133, or at citizensadvice.org.uk. In Scotland, contact Advice Direct Scotland. In Northern Ireland, contact Consumerline.
- Our final response will tell you whether there is an alternative dispute resolution provider we are willing to use.
- You can take your claim to court. Smaller claims can usually go through the small claims track, or simple procedure in Scotland. Our terms for parents and students explain which courts you can use.
Complaints about personal information
If your complaint is about how we have handled personal information, you can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk. The ICO usually expects you to raise the matter with us first.
Safeguarding concerns are not complaints
If you are worried about a child’s safety or welfare, do not use this complaints process. Safeguarding concerns are acted on straight away under our safeguarding policy.
- If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
- Otherwise, email safeguarding@covetutors.co.uk, or contact the children’s services team at the local authority where the child lives.
Concerns about our Designated Safeguarding Lead
If your concern is about our Designated Safeguarding Lead, raise it with our deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead instead. You can also contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) at the local authority where the child lives.
Confidentiality
We treat every complaint confidentially. We only share information with the people who need it to look into and resolve the complaint. If a complaint raises a safeguarding concern, or we are required by law to share information, we will do so.
Recording and learning from complaints
We keep a record of every complaint, how it was handled and the outcome, in line with our privacy notice. We review complaints regularly to spot patterns and improve our service, and we share lessons learned with our tutors without identifying the people involved.