Student Complaints Policy

1.1 To deliver its strategic aims of excellence in Learning, Teaching and Assessment and the Student Experience, Results Consortium (thereafter the College) has a policy of complying with the Office for Students’ (OfS) Quality and Conditions Standards, in particular:

B1 The provider must ensure that the students registered on each higher education
course receive a high-quality academic experience.

B2 The provider must take all reasonable steps to ensure each cohort of students
receives the resources and support needed to succeed in and beyond higher education.

B4 Assessment must be valid and the awards certificated must be credible.

B5 Certification must only be granted to students whose knowledge and skills
appropriately reflect sector-recognised standards.

1.2 The use of a documented Complaints Policy is part of the College’s planned
compliance with these standards. IGood practice as described by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education was also considered when developing this policy and process (OIA Guidance).

2 Underlying Principles

2.1 The aim of the policy is to support students with a simple and effective process for resolving complaints informally, where possible, through meditation between those concerned with the matter. The College recognises that some issues cannot be resolved through an informal process and may require the intervention of others.

2.2 The Student Complaints Policy covers all students in the College and aims to deal openly, fairly and effectively with any comment or complaint about services, offering appropriate solutions to anyone who is adversely affected.

3 Confidentiality

3.1 All complaints should be made without fear of penalty. Information will be released to those who need it for the purposes of investigating or responding to it.

3.2 All complaints will be handled sensitively, will be fully investigated, and will receive an appropriate explanation. Confidentiality should be maintained from all parties involved in the process.

3.3 Details of any complaint about a student or a member of staff will be shared with them, so that they can respond to any allegations.

4 Definition

4.1 A complaint is the expression of a specific concern about an aspect of the programme, service, facility or site which is deemed unsatisfactory and should be
investigated

•Academic Appeals– appealing against the outcome of Assessment Board. A complaint in relation to review an Assessment Board decision, falls within the Academic Appeals Policy and will be considered as an Academic Appeal and not a Complaint.
• Academic Malpractice – relating to academic offences, for example cheating, collusion, plagiarism etc.
• Extenuating Circumstances – relating to extenuation in relation to assessments
• Student Code of Conduct – disciplinary offences including complaints by students about the behaviour of other students.
• Bullying and Harassment – complaints concerning bulling and harassment

4.3 Complaints relating to the misconduct of a member of staff or student may be submitted initially as a complaint but may later be referred to the appropriate Grievance or Disciplinary Procedure.

5. Support

5.1 Students may refer to any staff member they feel comfortable to talk to for help, advice, guidance, and support in making a complaint

5.2 If there is a particularly sensitive issue to raise, they can approach the Student Welfare Team for help. The team will make sure that any such complaint will be made known to the smallest number of staff necessary for the purpose of the investigation and that the complaint will be dealt on a confidential basis

6 Who can make a complaint?

6.1 Any registered student can make a complaint. If a third party is making a complaint on behalf of a student, written consent from the student will be required and a valid reason as to why the student was unable to raise a complaint themselves

6.2 Anonymous complaints will not be accepted. In rare cases, if the complainant provides a valid reason for wanting to remain anonymous, the complaint may be investigated

6.3 A log of all complaints (formal and Informal) should be maintained with details of resolutions. All complaints will be reported to the Governing Body annually by the Principal.

7 Procedure

7.1 The Student Complaints Policy follows the following stages:

7.1.1 Informal Resolution, student-led informal discussion of the complaint with the
individuals directly involved.

7.1.2 Formal Investigation of the Complaint (Stage One) through mediation

7.1.3 Formal Review Hearing (Stage Two) through mediation.

7.2 Informal Resolution

7.2.1 The College expects students to try to resolve their complaint informally at a local level in the first instance. Students should contact the member(s) of staff directly to raise their concerns either in writing or as part of a discussion.

7.2.2 Where this is not possible, the student should contact the Student Welfare Team to raise their concerns.

7.2.3 Mediation meetings will be arranged by the Student Welfare Team and the details will be communicated to the student. Students should receive at least two clear working days’ notice to attend. If they cannot attend a meeting, they will be required to provide notice in advance.

7.2.4 Meetings are usually face-to-face. In exceptional circumstances, such as serious illness or disability that would prevent the student from attending a meeting, they may take place via Microsoft Teams. Written representations might be considered but in such cases the complainant should explain the reasons for such a request.

7.2.5 If a complainant fails to attend scheduled meetings, without reasonable explanation, the College reserves the right not to schedule any further appointments. In such cases, the complaint will not be dealt with due to the complainant’s failure to engage with the process.

7.2.6 A written record of the discussion and any written correspondence must be kept.

7.2.7 A response and any remedy proposed should be provided to the student within 15 working days of the complaint being raised. If there is a good reason for requiring a longer period, the student should be informed.

7.2.8 The student will also be informed of their right to proceed to the formal stage of the process should they not be satisfied with the outcome of the Informal stage.

7.2.9 A basic record of the Complaint will be retained, including details of the Complainant, the nature of the Complaint and the outcome.

7.3 Formal Investigation of the Complaint

7.3.1 If an issue is not resolved informally, the complainant should complete a Stage 1 Complaint Form with accompanying evidence and details of the steps the student has taken to resolve the issue informally or their reasons for not doing and send it to the Student Welfare Team.

7.3.2 To make a Formal Complaint, the student should complete a Formal Complaint Form (Appendix 1).

7.3.3 Complaints must be escalated within 15 working days of the response made at informal stage. The College reserves the right to reject any complaint outside of this timescale.

7.3.4 The Student Welfare Team will review the complaint form and accompanying evidence and will acknowledge the receipt of the form.

7.3.5 The Principal will nominate an impartial investigator who will offer to meet face to face with the complainant who will receive at least two clear working days’ notice to attend. A note of the meeting will be taken, and the complainant may be accompanied by a fellow student or a student representative.

7.3.6 The Investigator will work with the co-operation of staff and management of the College to investigate complaints speedily, fairly and transparently. Where possible the investigation should be tracked by written notes or documentation.

7.3.7 Following the Investigation, a written response with appropriate explanations, should normally be sent to the complainant within 15 working days. All responses should be copied to Student Welfare Team.

7.3.8 The response will indicate whether the Complaint has been upheld, not upheld or partially upheld and will, where appropriate, identify any action to be taken.

7.3.9 Where the complaint is not upheld, the student will be notified of their right to proceed to a Stage 2 Review

7.4 Formal Review Hearing

7.4.1 Students are entitled to seek a Review of the decision concerning their Stage
1 complaint, only where:

• there was a procedural irregularity at the Stage 1 formal stage (e.g. there was a material failure by the College to follow the complaints procedure at Stage 1, or clear reasons were not provided for the Stage 1 decision, or there is evidence of bias);
• the Stage 1 outcome was not reasonable in all the circumstances (e.g. aspects of the complaint were not sufficiently covered by the investigation, or the outcome is contradictory to regulations);
• new material evidence which the student was unable, for valid reasons, to provide earlier in the process

7.4.2 A request for a Stage 2 review must be made in writing within 15 working days of the written notification of the Stage 1 outcome. The College reserves the right to reject any requests outside of this timescale

7.4.3 Requests should be sent to the Student Welfare Team and clearly indicate the reasons for dissatisfaction and why a review is required.

7.4.4 Stage 2 does not normally involve a full new investigation.

7.4.5 The Principal will review all information collated for the complaint, together with any new evidence presented. The Principal may also contact anyone previously involved in the complaint as well as any new witnesses.

7.4.6 The decision taken at the Review stage is final and will be communicated in writing normally within 20 working days for a request being accepted.

7.4.7 The student will also receive a Completion of Procedures letter which will include the Stage 2 Review response.

8.0 Office of the Independent Adjudicator

8.1 If the student remains dissatisfied with the College’s response, they have the right to refer their case to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

8.2 Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) Guidance can be found at:

http://www.oiahe.org.uk/media/96361/oia-good-practice-framework.pdf

Appendix 1 – Student Complaints Form – Formal Complaint

Student Complaints Form – Formal Complaint

Please read the Student Complaints Policy before completing this form. If you need help completing the form, you should contact the Students Welfare Team at studentwelfare@resultsco.org.uk

All sections of this form must be completed in full and supporting evidence should be
provided wherever possible. Please sign and date the form. Your appeal will be delayed if you do not complete this form in full.

Section 3 – Outline of action(s) you have taken

If you have already taken steps to resolve your complaint informally, please outline these below. If not, please proceed to the next section

DECLARATION

By submitting this form, I confirm that:
• I have read the Student Complaints Policy.
• The information I have provided on this form is true to the best of my knowledge.
• I understand that if any information I have provided is found to be false or malicious in intent, I may be subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Appendix 2 – Student Complaints Form – Request for Review

Student Complaints Form – Request For Review

Please read the Student Complaints Policy before completing this form.
If you need help completing the form, you should contact the Students Welfare Team at studentwelfare@resultsco.org.uk

All sections of this form must be completed in full and supporting evidence be provided wherever possible. Please sign and date the form. Your appeal will be delayed if you do not complete this form in full.

Section 1 – Student details

DECLARATION

By submitting this form, I confirm that:
• I have read the Student Complaints Policy.
• The information I have provided on this form is true to the best of my knowledge
• I understand that if any information I have provided is found to be false I may be subject to disciplinary proceedings