Academic Appeals Procedures

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These Academic Appeals Procedures set out the process that students can follow if they are unhappy with an assessment result and/or a decision that has been made about their academic progress or degree result.

Academic Appeals Procedures

1. When to appeal

1.1 An appeal is essentially a request that the School review a decision made on a student’s academic progress and/or assessment results. If a student is not happy with a decision, they have the right to appeal against it. These decisions include:

  • an Examination Board decision that a student has failed their programme and must leave, or that they may not progress to the next year or level of their programme;
  • a degree classification;
  • a research degree examination outcome (including reviews and upgrades).

1.2 Students cannot appeal if their only complaint is that they did badly and think they should have done better; questioning the academic judgement of the examiners is not a permissible grounds for appeal. It is the responsibility of students to know about assessment deadlines, so a deadline that has been missed because it has been forgotten or misremembered is also not a valid ground for appeal. Students who submit an academic appeal must refer to the following grounds:

  • Particular circumstances affecting the student’s performance of which the examiners / their supervisor(s) were not aware when their decision was taken and which could not reasonably have been presented to them. A student appealing on this ground will need to explain why they were not able to have submitted a Mitigating Circumstances form at the time;
  • There was a procedural irregularity (including administrative error) or other inadequacy in the conduct of the assessment, or processing of marks or grades, or the categorisation of an award. For example the wrong marks were entered into the system, or there was a serious disturbance during an assessment;
  • There exists evidence of prejudice or bias on the part of an examiner. This would usually only apply to assessment where work is not subject to double-marking procedures;
  • In the case of a decision to exclude a student from their programme on grounds of unsatisfactory work, the grounds may also include that the decision can clearly be demonstrated to be unreasonably harsh.

2. What students are entitled to expect when they make an appeal

Fair and timely consideration

2.1 Students can expect their appeal to be dealt with fairly and in a timely way. They will not be disadvantaged for having made an appeal in good faith. However, frivolous, vexatious or malicious appeals will not be considered and may render the student subject to investigation under the School’s Student Disciplinary Procedures. These are defined as:

  • appeals which are repetitive or obsessive;
  • appeals which lack any serious purpose or value;
  • appeals which are designed to cause disruption or annoyance;
  • appeals in which an unrealistic or unreasonable outcome is requested; and/or
  • appeals where the student acts in an unreasonable manner.

2.2 For appeals following the July Undergraduate Examination Board, and particularly in relation to students being asked to withdraw from the programme rather than progress, the School will aim to conclude the appeals process in time for the September meeting of the Board. In all other cases the School will aim to conclude the appeals process within 90 days of receipt of the application.

2.3 The School aims to meet the timescales in these procedures wherever practicable, and will inform a student of the progress of their appeal at every stage, advising them if any delay is inevitable.

Confidentiality

2.4 Appeals will be treated in strict confidence. Once a final decision has been taken, one full set documentation will be retained for record and audit purposes by the Academic Registrar. All other sets of documents that relate to an appeal will be destroyed. All members of staff and students involved in any part of the appeals process are bound by confidentiality.

2.5 Individual members of staff may have, by nature of their position, defined roles in these procedures. Deputies may be appointed to assume these roles if the staff member is not available to fulfil those roles or if they have any direct connection with the appeal under consideration.

3. Advice for a student wishing to make an appeal

3.1 A student seeking advice on how to make an appeal or advice on how the procedure operates is advised to contact the Student Advice Service or their Programmes Officer.

4. Representation and support

4.1 If a student’s appeal progresses to Stage 2 (Academic Appeals Panel) and they are invited to meet with the Panel, they may choose to be accompanied by a friend, relative, or a representative of the Students’ Union. Legal representation is not normally permitted, although the School, at its sole discretion, may permit legal representation in an exceptional case in the interests of fairness. The student will normally be given a minimum notice of 1 week, in writing, if they are invited to attend a meeting of the Academic Appeals Panel.

5. Monitoring and audit of appeals

5.1 The Academic Registrar will maintain a central record of appeals and their outcomes, and will submit a summary report of the outcomes of all appeals to the Academic Board at the end of each academic year. This report will be made in a form that protects the anonymity of the student and the confidentiality of the appeal.

5.2 The Academic Appeals Procedures are reviewed annually. Adjustments and improvements are made as a consequence of any lessons learned through their enactment and/or because of changes to sector guidance and best practice.

6. Submission of written appeal

6.1 A student applying for a review of an Examination Board (or Research Degrees Sub-Committee) decision, or appealing against exclusion for unsatisfactory work, must submit the appeal to the Academic Registrar within 10 working days of the formal publication of the decision (i.e. the date written on the letter giving the decision). It is a student’s own responsibility to be available or make alternative arrangements to receive such correspondence.

6.2 In exceptional circumstances the Academic Registrar may accept appeals beyond this deadline, where the student provides evidence of a compelling reason for the delay in submitting the appeal (for example, the student’s serious ill health, or due to the sensitive nature of the appeal).

6.3 If an appeal is rejected as having been submitted outside of the prescribed timeframe, a Completion of Procedures letter will be issued and there will be no further recourse within the School. If the student is unsatisfied with this outcome, then they may be able to take the matter to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (see section 9, below).

6.4 Appeals must be made in writing, using the Academic Appeals form. Appropriate supporting evidence must be provided with the appeal. Examples of documentary evidence could include a signed and dated Medical Certificate from a doctor, or signed and dated correspondence on headed notepaper.

7. Stage 1: consideration of appeal by the Academic Registrar

7.1 Upon On receipt of an academic appeal, the Academic Registrar will acknowledge receipt and review it to determine whether:

  • it has been submitted under the correct procedures, within the stipulated deadlines, in the required format, and with accompanying evidence;
  • the matter should be referred to a different process (for example, the Student Complaints Procedures);
  • the student requires urgent academic or wellbeing support;
  • it should be rejected as frivolous, vexatious, or malicious;
  • it would be appropriate to consider conciliation or mediation.

7.2 The decision of the Academic Registrar will be one of the following:

  • that the appeal is not admissible;
  • that the appeal is admissible, and the matter so clear cut that an appropriate remedy can be agreed without the need to refer the matter to an Academic Appeals Panel; or
  • that the appeal is admissible, but that the matter should be referred to an Academic Appeals Panel to determine the outcome.

7.3 If the decision is that the appeal is not admissible, the Academic Registrar will inform the appellant in writing that the matter will not be considered further, with reasons, and provide information about their right to complain to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (see section 9, below). 

7.4 If the decision is that the appeal is admissible and that an appropriate remedy can be agreed without referring the matter to an Academic Appeals Panel, the Academic Registrar will inform the appellant in writing of the outcome.

7.5 If the decision is that the matter should be referred to an Academic Appeals Panel, the appeal will proceed to stage 2, below.

8. Stage 2: Academic Appeals Panel

8.1 The Academic Appeals Panel will consist of:

  • a senior academic as Chair;
  • two members of the academic staff of the Academic Board, or its sub-committees, including its Examination Board (or the Research Degrees Sub-Committee);
  • the Students’ Union President – as the student representative of the Academic Board – or, where necessary, an alternate as approved by the Chair of the Panel.

8.2 The Academic Registrar will normally act as secretary to the Panel.

8.3 No member of staff or student who has an interest in a specific application or who is connected with the programme on which the applicant has been studying may be a member of the Academic Appeals Panel while it considers the case. The appellant will be given the opportunity to raise an objection about the involvement of any member of the Panel, in writing to the Academic Registrar. Objections will normally only be considered on the grounds of an actual or perceived conflict of interest.

8.4 The quorum of the Academic Appeals Panel will be three.

8.5 The Academic Registrar will circulate a report of the appeal to the members of the Academic Appeals Panel. The report will include:

  • the appeal form and supporting documentary evidence;
  • the regulations governing the programme and its assessment, if relevant;
  • a statement from the Programme Leader/tutors, if relevant;
  • a statement from the Chair of the Examination Board (or Research Degrees Sub-Committee), if relevant;
  • any statement submitted on behalf of the Examination Board (or Research Degrees Sub-Committee), if relevant;
  • a summary note indicating the Academic Registrar’s view of the issues for consideration.

8.6 The process to be followed will be at the discretion of the Chair of the Academic Appeals Panel, and may be desk-/paper-based or may involve a meeting at which the student is called to attend. Where a student is invited to attend a meeting, they may choose to be accompanied by a friend, relative, or a representative of the Students’ Union: refer to paragraph 4.1, above.

8.7 Following consideration of an appeal, the Academic Appeals Panel may uphold or dismiss the appeal, in whole or in part, and may take one or more of the following actions:

  • refer the matter to the Examination Board (or Research Degrees Sub-Committee) with an instruction to reconsider its original decision in light of the Panel’s findings;
  • substitute a new decision;
  • refer the matter to be considered under a different procedure.

8.8 The decision of the Panel will be reached by consensus if possible, but if necessary the Panel shall make its decision by a simple majority. If there is not a majority in favour of the decision, the Chair will have a casting vote.

8.9 The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel will be final. The student will be informed in writing of the decision of the Panel, with reasons, normally within 5 calendar days of the panel convening, and the letter with constitute a Completion of Procedures letter and refer the student to their entitlement to complain to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education.

8.2 Any of the members of the Academic Appeals Panel may request that the Panel meet to consider the matter further.

8.3 If no Academic Appeals Panel member requests a meeting within 5 working days of receipt of the Academic Registrar’s report, the matter shall be regarded as concluded and the student shall have no further right to appeal and will be notified by the Academic Registrar accordingly (through the issue of a Completion of Procedures letter).

9. Further recourse

9.1 The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) runs an independent scheme to review student complaints. The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama is a member of this scheme. If a student is unhappy with the outcome of their appeal they may be able to ask the OIA to review it. More information about making a complaint to the OIA, what it can and cannot look at and what it can do to put things right is available on the OIA website.

9.2 Students will normally need to have completed these Academic Appeals Procedure before they can complain to the OIA. The School will send them a letter called a Completion of Procedures letter when they have reached the end of these Procedures and there are no further steps they can take internally. More information for students about Completion of Procedures Letters and when they should expect to receive one can be found on the OIA website.