Consultation on draft updated OIA guidance on Handling complaints and academic appeals

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This first and main section of the Good Practice Framework sets out guidance on handling complaints and academic appeals in higher education in England and Wales. It is intended to support providers to develop and follow fair processes, and to be a tool to help any provider to evaluate their own processes. It can also be a useful resource for students and those who advise them as guidance on what good complaints and appeals processes should look like. 

The main developments proposed in this update are: 

• Updating the language of the principles, and separating them into a standalone part of the Good Practice Framework to make it clearer that they apply across all sections of the Framework 
• An additional document to explain what we mean when we talk about bias, in response to feedback that identified this as a key area where clarification would be helpful 
• New or expanded guidance on what to do when more than one process might apply, complaints about student representative bodies, complaints about behaviour of staff or other students, and group complaints 
• Bringing together the guidance on the process for both complaints and appeals to help avoid duplication – but still drawing distinctions between the two processes where necessary. 

We have consulted with our Good Practice Framework Steering Group in preparing the update, and have drawn on the valuable feedback we received through several discussion webinars we held earlier in the year. 

We invite comments on the draft from sector bodies, higher education providers, student representative bodies, students and anyone else with an interest.  

We will publish the final updated version of the section towards the end of 2022.

ENDS 

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Notes to Editors 

For further information please contact Sarah Liddell, Head of Leadership Office, mediarelations@oiahe.org.uk, 0118 959 9813. 

1. The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) is the independent student complaints ombuds for higher education in England and Wales. It is the designated operator of the student complaints’ scheme under the Higher Education Act 2004. 
2. The consultation will be published on 15 September. The consultation will remain open until 31 October 2022. 
3. The Good Practice Framework: Handling complaints and academic appeals is the first and main section of the Framework, which provides operational guidance to support higher education providers in England and Wales. The other sections are: Supporting disabled students, Delivering learning opportunities with others, Disciplinary procedures, Fitness to practise and Requests for additional consideration. 
4. The Good Practice Framework is one element of the OIA’s good practice work. We also provide guidance through a range of webinars, workshops and visits. Learn more about our outreach work.