Student Complaints Form - Stage 2 Local-level resolution

 

Please read the following notes carefully before completing this form. The notes should be read in conjunction with City St George’s Regulation 26 (Student Complaints) which can be found on our Student Policies and Regulations page.

 

How and when to make a complaint

 

If you encounter problems during your time at City St George's, it is always best if you can raise these at the time they occur with the most relevant person. We encourage informal resolution wherever possible, and you may find that there is a simple solution. You may find it helpful to contact your personal tutor or a member of the course office for advice in the first instance. In this case, there may be no need to use this form. For further independent advice and information, refer to the links below.

 

How and when to use this form

 

This form should be used only if you have already tried to resolve the matter informally, according to Stage 1 of Regulation 26, but you are not satisfied with the result. The form should be submitted within 15 working days of the written response to your initial complaint.

 

The form asks you to summarise your complaint before adding more background. It also asks you to explain how you have tried to resolve the matter, why you remain unsatisfied, and what you would like to happen next. When completing the form, try to keep focused on the relevant facts, and on what you want to achieve. Remember that the person receiving your form is likely to have no prior knowledge of the issues.

 

Can a group of students submit a complaint?

 

 You can submit this form as an individual student or as a group. You may wish to complain as a group if a number of students have complaints about the same or very similar issues and have not been able to resolve this at Stage 1. It is likely that the same remedy would apply if the complaint is upheld. An example might be a group of students all studying the same course, in the same year, who have all been affected by something in the same way. Remember that not everyone in a specific cohort will be affected by the same circumstances in the same way, so there may be students who wish to form a different group with whom to complain, or who do not wish to complain at all. If you complain as a group, you will be asked to nominate one or two students to act as the representatives. The representative(s) will need to seek permission from the other students who wish to submit a group complaint, and provide email addresses for all students who are submitting the complaint. Although we generally expect that all students submitting a complaint at Stage 2 have made efforts to resolve it at Stage 1, it may be possible for other students to join a complaint at Stage 2 because their complaint is so similar to something that has already been raised at Stage 1 and where the outcome was not felt to be satisfactory.

 

What kind of supporting information should I include?

 

It is important that you include with your form written confirmation of trying to resolve your complaint informally. If you do not have this, ask the person who dealt with your initial informal complaint to provide you with a written response.

 

It is important that you include with your form written confirmation of the response to your initial complaint. If you do not have this, ask the person who dealt with your initial complaint to provide you with a written response.

 

It is your responsibility to provide any other supporting evidence (e.g. documents or correspondence) that you would like to be considered. Without evidence, we may not be able to verify the claims you are making or address them in full. Think about what evidence will support and strengthen the claims you are making. Make sure that it is directly relevant to your complaint and refer to the evidence when filling in the form.

 

You are required to submit this form within 15 working days of the written response to your initial complaint. Please do not delay submitting the form if you are waiting to obtain copies of particular supporting documents, but explain if some additional items will follow. Please note that your submission will not be considered complete until all the evidence you have chosen to submit is received.

 

How will the complaint be managed?

 

We take all student complaints seriously, although we expect you to help us by presenting the issues clearly and in a professional way. This form asks you to identify what outcome you are seeking. Think carefully about what you are asking for. Is it reasonable? Is it realistic?

 

We will normally acknowledge receipt of your complaint form within 5 working

days of receipt. The Responsible Person will establish appropriate timescales based on the nature and complexity of the complaint. We will tell you these timescales and keep you informed of any changes. Where possible, we aim to complete the formal stages of the complaints process within three months. This means that we intend to conclude all open Stage 2 and 3 complaints within three months of receiving your completed Stage 2 submission with all accompanying evidence. We aim to do this providing an outcome to your Stage 2 complaint within six weeks. However, please bear in mind that a number of factors could delay the outcome, including the complexity of your complaint, the volume of complaints received, University closure periods etc.

 

You may be asked to clarify particular issues or answer questions as part of an investigation. 

 

If a complaint is directed at individual members of staff, they will normally be invited to comment as part of any investigation. [NOTE: complaints made maliciously (i.e. intending to cause harm and without a genuine belief in their truth) are not acceptable, and may lead to action being taken against the person making the complaint].
 

Further information and support

Further information upon the Complaints Process can be found via the StudentHub

Support is also available from City St George’s Students’ Union or via email unionadvice@city.ac.uk.