• Situations may arise where students are dissatisfied with a non-academic related aspect of their experience or service at the College. The College welcomes input from students as this enables us to develop and improve our non-academic offerings and support we provide to students.
• The Complaints Policy for Non- Academic Related Matters applies when a student has a complaint or concern about College functions which include but are not limited to:
• Admissions, Marketing and Recruitment
• Estates and Facilities
• Financial matters
• Computing and information technology
• Student Affairs
• Issues or complaints related to official college polices or procedures
• Other matters

• There are many informal routes by which a student may voice a concern. A student should speak to their student representative, their tutor, or their advisor, give comments in the course evaluations, or speak to a member of the College that they are comfortable approaching. If these routes still do not help, then a student may wish to initiate a complaint.

• The information in this document outlines the procedure to follow if there is a complaint. This document does not override the wider legal obligations of the College or to employees under contract, or the obligations of students and employees to the College.

• All complaints will be treated in strict confidence and the College confirms that bringing a complaint or raising an issue will not have a negative impact on academic treatment.

• The College is often required to work with a range of external bodies, and delays or problems may arise beyond the College’s control. A student complaint will only be considered where responsibility lies within the College.

• If a student wishes to raise a complaint about the service of an external body with which the College conducts business, the student should contact the relevant organisation directly.

• Where appropriate, the College will provide advice and support to students where errors arise on behalf of external bodies, but it will not actively participate in a complaint procedure in such circumstances.

• If a student’s complaint involves more than one department or non-academic support office, then one person will be designated to respond to the complaint with consultation from the relevant parties. If it is found that the complaint involves an appeal, the student will be pointed to the relevant appeals policy.

• Any student using the complaint process to bring frivolous or vexatious matters to the College’s attention will be subject to disciplinary action.

• Any student found to have provided fraudulent evidence or falsified a claim will be subject to disciplinary action.

Complaint Resolution Process

• The College offers a Three-Stage Resolution Process to resolve complaints made against a given College function/department.

Stage I: Informal Resolution

• An informal complaint should be raised in writing with a member of the relevant team who will attempt an informal resolution of the issue.

• The student is also encouraged to contact the CEO who will advise on the College’s complaints procedure.

Stage II: Formal Resolution

• A formal complaint should be raised in writing with the Head of the relevant team using the Formal Complaint Form. The complaint should include:

• A detailed description of the issue and valid evidence to support the claim;

• An indication of desired outcomes i.e., a short statement of what you hope your complaint to achieve.

• The Head of the relevant team will acknowledge receipt of your complaint, normally in five working days, and provide a provisional response to the issues you raise. This response may also indicate what formal action, if any, the Department will take.

• If the complaint concerns the Head of the relevant team, it should be referred to a designated alternative.

Stage III: Further Review of Complaint

• If you are not satisfied with the decision received from the Head of the relevant team, you should submit a Further Review of Complaint form, along with the response of the Head, within five working days of receipt, to the CEO. The CEO will review the complaint and, where necessary, make recommendations for further action at the relevant College committee or board.

• The grounds for Further Review are:

• New evidence exists that could not have been reasonably presented in the previous stage;

• A procedural irregularity occurred in the conduct of the complaints process;

• A decision was manifestly unreasonable or influenced by prejudice or bias, or perception thereof, on the part of the decision-maker(s).

• In line with OIA expectations, once a student has finished the College’s internal complaints or appeals procedures and that of the awarding body, the College will promptly send a Completion of Procedures Letter. This Letter will set out clearly what issues have been considered and the College’s final decision.

• Should an error, an example of bad practice, or failing be identified the College will take timely action to resolve the issue.

Advice and Support

• Students may also raise issues at the Student Staff Liaison Committee, as well as ask for informal advice and support at any time, from the Student Support Officer, Academic Advisors, the Student Representative, and/or the CEO.