Responding to the Outcome
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, you have 10 working days from the date you receive the letter in which to request a review.
If your complaint has been upheld, partly or wholly, and you have been offered a payment in recognition of distress or inconvenience, or financial compensation, you will be invited to accept the terms in full and final settlement of your complaint. You will be asked to accept the offer within 10 working days, and the letter will explain how to do so. If you accept the offer, your complaint will be considered closed and you will not be eligible to request a review of the outcome.
If your complaint is not upheld, or you do not accept the outcome, you may ask for a review. However, depending on the nature and circumstances of your complaint, you must proceed on the basis that the outcome will not change and make any associated decisions on that basis. If your complaint is subsequently upheld, or a different outcome offered, we will ensure that, so far as possible, you are returned to the position you would have been in, had that been the original outcome.
Request for Review
This stage is managed by the College Compliance team and is the final stage in the College’s internal procedures for managing complaints. A request for a review will only be accepted on the following grounds:
- Fresh evidence can be presented which you could not with reasonable diligence have submitted with the initial complaint and which might cause reasonable doubt as to the fairness of the decision in the outcome letter.
- There is evidence of a failure to follow the procedures in the regulations which might cause reasonable doubt as to the fairness of the decision in the outcome letter.
- The decision maker at the formal stage reached an unreasonable decision, given the evidence available at the time.
Please note, further evidence will not normally be considered unless you can demonstate why you were could not have provided it before the review stage. If you are providing evidence from third parties, including witness statements or medical certificates, you must have requested them in good time before submitting your formal complaint.
You are advised to read the Complaint Review Guidance before submitting a ‘request a review’ form to compliance@royalholloway.ac.uk .
If you have not requested a review after 10 working days, your case will be closed.
A request for a review will first be considered by a case officer who will determine whether you have met the grounds. If you do not meet the grounds the case officer will consult with the Deputy Principal (Operations) or their nominee, and you request may be rejected. If your review is valid your case will be presented to a member of the College’s Senior Management Team (or nominee) who will consider the details of the case and all relevant documentation provided by the Investigating Officer.
Once the Review is complete, you will be sent a Completion of Procedures Letter confirming the College’s final decision on your complaint.
Further Action
Once all internal procedures have been exhausted the College will not investigate the matter any further. If you remain unsatisfied with the outcome, however, you can ask for your case to be reviewed by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA).
This option is only available after the College’s internal procedures have been completed. The College will send you a Completion of Procedures Letter at the appropriate time, after which you will have one year in which to refer your case to the OIA.
If your case concerns academic standards and quality, you may be able to register indications of serious systemic or procedural problems with the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.