Complaints policy

We are committed to providing the best service we can and to being excellent in all that we do, but we recognise that our practices could always be improved. When we fall short of the high standards we set for ourselves, we would like to hear about it. We take all feedback seriously – both good and bad – and treat all feedback as an opportunity to develop.

Our commitment to you

We will strive to ensure that complaints are:

• acknowledged promptly;
• taken seriously and properly investigated;
• dealt with confidentially and fairly;
• responded to appropriately; 
• learned from.

How to make a complaint

We consider a complaint to be an expression of dissatisfaction about the standards of service, actions or lack of action by Teach First, our staff or anyone else involved directly in the delivery of our work.

If you would like to make a complaint to Teach First, please contact us using any of these options:

• Email supportercare@teachfirst.org.uk for a fundraising complaint or governance@teachfirst.org.uk for all other complaints.
• Write to us – please send your correspondence to the Company Secretary, Teach First, 6 Mitre Passage, Greenwich, London SE10 0ER.

Complaints should be made within three months of the relevant incident. In exceptional circumstances we may be able to respond to a complaint that is older, although this is something we will decide at our discretion and on a case-by-case basis.

Please make sure you include your name, address and contact telephone number in your email or letter so we can get in touch with you easily. If you have a suggestion for how best to resolve the issues in your complaint, please also let us know. We want to reach the best possible outcome, and therefore we value your ideas as to how to achieve this.  

What we will do to respond to a complaint

We will acknowledge your complaint within 10 working days from receiving it and will send a formal response as quickly as we can, but within 20 working days.

Please note that if the issues raised in your complaint are complicated (for example, if they involve a number of different Teach First offices or any of our partner organisations) then we may need further time to properly investigate your complaint, but we will keep you updated as to when you can expect to hear back from us.

From time to time, we may receive complaints about matters that we are not able to comment on (for example, matters that do not relate directly to Teach First or our work). Additionally, there may be very rare occasions when we will choose not to respond to a complaint (for example, where someone unreasonably pursues a complaint that we have already responded to; where the person making the complaint is being abusive or offensive in their correspondence; or where the complaint is incoherent or has been made anonymously). We are a charity and we have limited resources, and we have to be mindful of this at all times in responding to complaints.

What to do next if you have further questions or concerns

We are confident that we will be able to address your concerns and resolve your complaint in a way that you are satisfied with. If you are still unhappy, then please let us know and we will escalate the complaint to a more senior member of staff, who will carry out a review.

Payment of invoices

Teach First aims to pay all invoices with a valid Purchase Order within 30 days of receipt as standard. 

Invoices without a Purchase Order number may be queried internally and/or returned to the supplier. Disputes from Teach First will be raised to a contact name listed on the invoice to us. Disputes raised by a supplier over missing or late payment may be raised to Sujata McNab at smcnab@teachfirst.org.uk, in the first instance, or to the legal team.

The Fundraising Regulator and Teach First

Teach First is committed to delivering a high standard of service to anyone who engages with our work through fundraising. As a member of the Fundraising Regulator, we are also committed to the Fundraising Promise as well as the Institute of Fundraising’s Codes of Fundraising Practice. We use the Fundraising Regular logo to show you that we’re following these high standards and fundraising in a responsible way.