Decision Report 201706254

Summary

Ms C failed her exams and was advised by the university that she could not resit them. Ms C appealed this decision and went through three stages of the appeal process. Ms C complained that the university failed to deal with all stages of the appeals process within a reasonable period of time.

We found that in relation to the second stage of her appeal, which was to the senate office, Ms C had to prompt the university to advise her that there was a delay. The university did not tell her the reason for the delay, and the decision was not issued within the timescale set out in the university's code of procedure for appeals to the senate office. Therefore, we upheld Ms C's complaint.

Recommendations

What we asked the organisation to do in this case:

• Apologise to Ms C for failing to deal with the appeals process within a reasonable period of time. The apology should meet the standards set out in the SPSO guidelines on apology available at https://www.spso.org.uk/leaflets-and-guidance.

What we said should change to put things right in future:

• Where an appeal is being considered, the university should ensure that the applicant is advised of any delay and the reason for that delay.

We have asked the organisation to provide us with evidence that they have implemented the recommendations we have made on this case by the deadline we set.