University Calendar

Complaints Procedure for Students

Introduction and Principles

 1.             The University aims to provide a high standard and quality of service in respect of its programmes of study, services and facilities but recognises that occasionally things do go wrong.  As part of its commitment to enhancing the student experience, this procedure has been established to deal with complaints from students.  The University recognises that complaints may provide useful feedback from students and, where appropriate, will be used to improve services and facilities.

2.             These procedures explain how students may make a complaint, both informal and formal.  Students who have a complaint to make should raise it as soon as possible with the member of staff concerned, as matters that are dealt with informally at an early stage have the best chance of being resolved effectively.  Only when the informal procedures have been exhausted and the complainant remains dissatisfied should the formal stage be instituted.

                It is recognised however that there may be occasions where an informal approach is not appropriate and the student may wish to proceed to a formal stage in the procedure, giving reasons for doing so.  In such situations the recipient of the complaint should decide at which stage in the procedure the complaint should most appropriately be considered, taking account of its particular nature and circumstances.

                In respect of particularly serious complaints, the student may write directly to the Registrar and Secretary without having followed the informal or formal stages of this procedure set out below.  In such cases the Registrar and Secretary shall decide whether or not to conduct his or her own investigation into the complaint or whether it should more appropriately be referred to an earlier stage in the procedure.

3.             Complaints should be brought forward by students as soon as possible after the events or actions (or lack of actions) which have prompted the complaint.  The University will not normally consider complaints that are made more than 28 days after the events complained about unless there is good reason for the delay.

4.             Every reasonable effort will be made to deal promptly and efficiently with all complaints, to investigate them thoroughly, objectively and independently and to seek to resolve them satisfactorily.  If a complaint is upheld, the University will seek to provide an appropriate response and will correct any mistakes or misunderstandings and will take any other action as appropriate.  If a complaint is not upheld then reasons for that decision will be given.

5.             All complaints will be dealt with in confidence with the proviso that enquiries will have to be made to investigate the matters that are the subject of the complaint.  Also, an individual against whom a complaint is made has the right to be supplied with a copy of the complaint and to comment on it.  A complaint cannot be investigated if the student does not wish the substance of the allegation to be made known to the individual concerned.

6.             The University will treat complaints seriously and will deal with them without recrimination. 

7.             Where a complaint is shown to be frivolous, vexatious or motivated by malice, it will be dismissed and disciplinary action may be taken against the student.

8.             The effectiveness of any complaints procedure depends on the University being able to collect appropriate information from the parties involved in order to investigate the matter properly.  For this reason, anonymous complaints will not be dealt with under this procedure.  It is at the discretion of the member of staff receiving an anonymous complaint to determine how the matter is handled.

9.             The time limits set out in this procedure will normally be followed.  However, where, for good reason, this is not possible, the complainant will be kept informed of progress.

10.          Students seeking help in using this procedure should seek advice from any of the following:

(a)                 the appropriate College Senior Tutor;

(b)                 appropriate academic staff (as set out in the Departmental handbook);

(c)                 the Academic Support Office;

(d)                 the DSU Advice Centre.

Scope of the Procedure

11.          The Procedure is designed to encompass the following:

(a)             complaints from students concerning their experience related to an academic Department, College, Academic, Administrative or Support Service or general publicity about the University;

(b)             complaints from students concerning the adequacy of supervision, the arrangements for teaching or the arrangements for summative assessments.

12.          The Complaints Procedure does not cover the following, for which separate procedures exist:

(a)           appeals relating to examinations or assessments or to academic progress or against expulsion or exclusion on academic grounds (Academic Appeals procedure);

(b)           complaints involving an allegation that a student has failed to meet his/her academic commitments ('Academic Progress' procedure);

(c)                 complaints involving an allegation of misconduct by a student (Student Discipline procedure).

(d)                 complaints involving an allegation of harassment (Respect at Work and Study policy).

Information about the separate procedures can be obtained from the DSU Advice Centre or the Academic Support Office.

13.          This procedure is available for students registered for programmes of study of the University[1].  Students on programmes validated by the University may also invoke the formal stage of these procedures provided that the complaints procedures of their home institution have been exhausted.

14.          This Procedure can be used by students for both individual and collective complaints.  It is expected that the student(s) concerned will pursue the complaint personally; complaints submitted by a third party will not normally be accepted. 

15.          Complaints by a group of students are often of a general nature where it is usually more appropriate for the students to raise the matter with a student representative on the relevant Committee (e.g. Staff/Student Consultative Committee) in the first instance.  Complaints may then be made by a group of students if the relevant representation system has not achieved a satisfactory outcome, or this is not thought to be an appropriate route.

16.          These procedures are reviewed annually as part of an evaluation report submitted to Senate regarding student complaints and academic appeals.

Informal Stage

17.          Most complaints can be resolved informally and, where practicable, a complaint should be dealt with as close as possible to the point at which it arises.  Students who wish to complain should, therefore, initially discuss the matter with those directly responsible.  If students are unhappy to approach the person directly responsible, a Senior Tutor, personal tutor, supervisor or the DSU Advice Centre may be approached for support.

18.          The list below highlights those members of staff who should be approached by the student to seek an informal resolution of their complaint:

  • Complaints relating to an academic department should be discussed either with an appropriate member of academic staff (as set out in the departmental handbook).
  • Complaints relating to a College should be discussed with a tutor or a College officer (as set out in the College handbook). If the student concerned believes that the matter has not been resolved to their satisfaction they should raise the matter with their Head of College.
  • Complaints about one of the University's administrative or support services should be discussed with the Head of the Service.
  • Complaints about the general publicity or information provided by the University (including the undergraduate and postgraduate prospectus) should be discussed with the relevant Head of Section.
  • Postgraduate students working for a higher degree, diploma or certificate of the University, who have concerns about the adequacy of supervision, or in the arrangements for teaching, or of assessment prior to the date on which the final examination takes place should discuss the matter with the supervisor or the member of staff responsible for the course. If this discussion is not successful or if the complaint concerns the supervisor or member of staff responsible for the course, then the student concerned should discuss the matter with the Head of Department concerned, before proceeding to the formal stage of this procedure.

19.          Staff investigating complaints at this stage should, if possible, have a face-to-face discussion with the student concerned, to come to an understanding of the exact nature of the student's dissatisfaction and to explore what outcome the student seeks. 

20.          Wherever possible, student complaints should be resolved at this local level, without the need to resort to formal proceedings.  A student should normally expect to receive a written or verbal acknowledgement within five working days and a full response within fifteen working days of receipt of the complaint.

Formal Stage

21.          If the student is not satisfied with the response at the informal stage, he or she may initiate a formal complaint by completing a Complaints Form and submitting it to the Assistant Registrar, Academic Support Office, University Office, Old Elvet, Durham, DH1 3HP.  The Assistant Registrar will determine who is the most appropriate Senior Officer within the University to deal with the complaint. 

22.          The Senior Officers, to whom complaints will be forwarded by the Assistant Registrar, are listed below:

(a)           Complaints about an Academic Department will be dealt with by the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the relevant Faculty. 

(b)           Complaints about a College or Society will be dealt with by the Deputy Warden.

(c)           Complaints about Academic, Administrative or Support Services or General Publicity or information about the University will be dealt with by the Registrar and Secretary.

(d)           Complaints from postgraduate students working for a higher degree, diploma or certificate of the University will be dealt with by the Dean of the Graduate School.

(e)                 Complaints from students on validated programmes will be dealt with by the Chair of the Quality and Standards Sub-Committee.

If a complaint involves any of the Senior Officers listed in (a) to (e) above, the student will be advised to move directly to the review stage of the procedure.

23.          The Senior Officer dealing with the formal complaint must be independent of the source of the complaint.  The Senior Officer to whom the formal complaint is forwarded will either investigate the matter him or herself or will delegate responsibility to another officer of appropriate standing and background to undertake the investigation on his or her behalf.

24.          Copies of the Complaints Form may be obtained from the Academic Support Office, Palatine Centre or from the Student Planning and Assessment Officer at Queen's Campus, Stockton. The form is also available on the University's website at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/academicsupport.office/appeals/

25.          The information to be given on the Complaints Form is as follows:

(a)                 details of the complaint;

(b)                 a statement of the action already taken to try and resolve the complaint informally and why the response given is considered unsatisfactory;

(c)                 the form of resolution or redress sought.

26.          The Academic Support  Office will acknowledge receipt of the Complaints Form within five working days.

27.          The Senior Officer appointed to deal with the formal complaint will attempt resolution of the complaint by a means appropriate to its nature and circumstance.  Such means may include:

(a)                 correspondence between the parties;

(b)                 negotiation with the student or with appropriate members of staff or with both;

(c)                 facilitation of a conciliation meeting between the student and staff concerned;

(d)                 or, if both parties agree, referral for mediation.

28.          If the Senior Officer appointed to deal with the formal complaint decides to investigate the complaint via correspondence then the student bringing forward the complaint shall be sent a copy of any comments obtained by the Officer and will be invited to submit a response.  This will be done prior to the Senior Officer reaching a decision in relation to the complaint.

29.          The Senior Officer appointed to deal with the formal complaint may determine that it is necessary to hold a hearing to collect evidence in relation to the complaint.  All parties involved with the complaint will be invited to attend a hearing including those against whom a complaint is made.  The student involved may be accompanied at any hearing by a fellow student, a DSU Officer or a member of staff.

30.          It is expected that the formal procedure should normally be completed and a written response sent to the student within  six weeks of the receipt of the completed Complaints Form by the Assistant Registrar.  The possible outcomes include:

(a)                 a resolution, reached in co-operation with the Department/School, College or administrative service     provider, or following mediation if appropriate;

(b)           if the complaint is upheld, recommendations to the relevant authority within the University on how the issues identified in the complaint should be addressed including, if applicable, appropriate redress to the student which may include appropriate redress;

(c)           dismissal of the complaint with reasons given to the student in writing.  

31.          A copy of the letter to the complainant informing them of the outcome of their complaint will be lodged in the Academic Support Office.

Review 

32.          If the student is not satisfied with the outcome of the formal complaint and believes that his or her complaint has not been handled properly or fairly according to these procedures, the student may petition the Registrar and Secretary for a review of the complaint.  The student can request a review by writing to the Registrar and Secretary's Office within 10 days of receipt of the response from the formal stage.  The request should include details of why the student remains dissatisfied and the resolution they are seeking.  The request should include copies of all correspondence exchanged during the preceding stages, and any other relevant papers.

33.          Receipt of the request for a review will be acknowledged within five working days.  The Registrar and Secretary, or his/her delegated nominee, will review the case on the basis of the correspondence provided by the student and that made available by the Officer who dealt with the formal complaint.  The Registrar and Secretary may decide to seek further information from the student and/or others concerned.  Taking account of the substance of the complaint and the previous attempts at resolution, the Registrar and Secretary will then decide on an appropriate course of action which may include:

(a)                 specific action to resolve the matter;

(b)           dismissal of the complaint in which case reasons will be given to the student in writing.

The student should be notified of the Registrar and Secretary's decision within 28 days of receipt of the request for a review.

34.          If the Registrar and Secretary dismisses the complaint there shall be no further opportunity for the complaint to be pursued within the University.

Office of the Independent Adjudicator

35.    The University's internal procedures are exhausted once a student is informed of the outcome of his or her request for a review under these procedures.  Students may complain to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) within 3 months of the issue of a completion of procedures letter by the University.  Information about the OIA and the procedure for submitting complaints can be obtained from the Academic Support Office, the DSU website or from the OIA website: www.oiahe.org.uk.

[1] For the purposes of this document, the term ''student'' shall include those who were registered for a programme of study at the University within the three months prior to the date upon which the complaint is submitted.