To make a complaint, contact either director by email, phone, post or in person. Safeguarding complaints are acted on immediately. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
1. Purpose
Luma Education Recruitment Ltd ("Luma") is committed to delivering high-quality recruitment services to early years settings, primary and secondary schools, multi-academy trusts and other education clients, and to our candidates and Workers. This policy explains how to raise a complaint, how we handle it, and what to expect.
2. Scope
This policy covers complaints from clients (Customers), candidates, Workers and external stakeholders about our service, communication, compliance, safeguarding, conduct, payroll, invoicing or data protection. It does not cover whistleblowing (see our Whistleblowing Policy) or internal staff grievances.
3. What counts as a complaint
A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our services, processes, decisions or conduct, including omissions and oversights.
4. Principles
Complaints are handled fairly, respectfully, confidentially and promptly. Safeguarding always comes first, and nobody will be treated less favourably for making a complaint.
5. How to make a complaint
Contact either director by email, phone, post or in person. Accessible formats are available on request.
Daniel Benson, Director – daniel.benson@lumaedrec.com – 0204 576 4344
Tom Jackson, Director – tom.jackson@lumaedrec.com – 0204 576 4102
General: info@lumaedrec.com
Post: Luma Education Recruitment Ltd, Office 6914, 58 Peregrine Road, Ilford, IG6 3SZ
6. Categories and timescales
Every complaint is logged, acknowledged and categorised by its impact on service delivery:
| Category 1 – General | Category 2 – Critical | |
|---|---|---|
| What it covers | Issues affecting administration, communication or candidate experience that do not disrupt the service, e.g. delayed replies, timesheet or pay queries, shift details resolved in advance, feedback on assignments. | Issues that directly affect delivery, especially same-day, e.g. a Worker no-show or late arrival without notice, a last-minute cancellation with no replacement, missing or incorrect compliance documents, unqualified or non-compliant staff, a safeguarding breach or serious misconduct, misrepresentation of a candidate. |
| Acknowledged | Within 3 working hours | Within 3 working hours, and escalated immediately to a director |
| Resolved | Within 10 working days, or a longer timescale agreed in writing with the complainant | Same day (resolved or mitigated, e.g. replacement cover), with a full investigation to follow |
Most general complaints can be settled informally by speaking with a director. If that is not possible, or the matter is serious, it is handled formally under this policy.
7. Safeguarding complaints
Complaints involving safeguarding are acted on immediately by the Designated Safeguarding Lead and, where appropriate, referred to the school's DSL, the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), the police or the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
8. Investigation and outcome
A director not involved in the issue investigates. We give a written response setting out what we found, what we have done and any changes we are making to stop it happening again.
9. Appeals and escalation
If you are not satisfied, you can appeal in writing within 10 working days of our response. The other director reviews the appeal and responds within 10 working days. Customers under the HEART Academies / Value Match Framework may also escalate unresolved complaints to Value Match through the Framework's escalation route.
10. External options
Complainants may also contact the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS), the LADO, the DBS, Ofsted or the police where relevant. Complaints about how we use personal data can also be made under our GDPR and Data Protection Policy, and to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk, 0303 123 1113).
11. Records and reporting
Every complaint is recorded in our complaints log with the date received, category, complainant contact details, nature of the complaint, actions agreed and taken, date resolved and root cause. Records are kept securely for six years (longer for safeguarding cases) in line with our Data Retention Schedule. Complaints data is shared with Customers in monthly reports and at review meetings, and with Value Match at Supplier Review meetings.
12. Review
The directors review complaint trends quarterly to drive improvement. This policy is reviewed annually, or sooner if legislation, Framework requirements or feedback require it.
Version history
| Version | Date | Summary of changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | November 2025 | First issue. |
| 2.0 | November 2026 | Annual review. Aligned with HEART Academies / Value Match Framework requirements (acknowledgement within 3 working hours, Category 1 and 2 complaints, same-day resolution of critical complaints, reporting to Customers and Value Match). Updated contact details and registered address; added ICO route for data protection complaints. |
Approved and signed electronically on behalf of Luma Education Recruitment Ltd by Daniel Benson, Director and policy owner, on 6 November 2026.