Academic Appeals Procedure
1. Decisions issued by academic bodies will include information about how you might appeal that decision. This information will be included in the decision letter, or within the results page on My Student Record for decisions on marks and awards confirmed by an Assessment Board. You can initiate the appeals procedure at that point by completing the online concerns form:
• SHU Students: Student Concerns Form
• External Parties: Student Concerns Form (external)
2. There are a maximum of three stages through which a concern may be considered: -
|
Triage
|
A preliminary assessment of the concerns form to decide on the most appropriate way of responding
|
See sections 3-5 below.
|
|
Investigation (Appeal Stage 1)
|
Cases will be referred to this stage when concerns cannot be quickly resolved during the triage process.
|
See sections 6-8 below.
|
|
Review (Appeal Stage 2)
|
Students may escalate their appeal to this stage on certain grounds if they remain dissatisfied with the response at Stage 1
|
See sections 9-13 below.
|
Triage
3. The Head of Student Policy, Casework and Compliance (or nominee) will undertake a preliminary assessment of the information provided on the concerns form and decide whether we can quickly resolve your concerns outside of the formal appeal procedure.
4. If the nature of your concerns mean that an early resolution is not possible, it will be referred to the Investigation Stage of the academic appeals procedure if it meets the eligibility criteria set out in the Academic Appeals Policy. The reasons why it may not be eligible are:
• The academic body has yet to issue its formal decision (e.g., your concerns are based on provisional marks rather than confirmed marks issued by the Departmental Assessment Board). In this case, we will explain the process for confirming your mark and you will be advised to talk to a member of academic staff about the mark you have received.
• You have submitted the concerns form beyond the deadline stated in the Academic Appeals Policy without a valid explanation. The type of explanation we would normally accept is where you were incapable of submitting on time due to serious health or personal reasons, provided that the explanation is supported by independent and authoritative evidence from a third party to confirm the circumstances that have delayed you submitting the appeal.
• Your concerns are not based on any of the grounds stated in the Academic Appeals Policy.
5. We will write to you to confirm your form has been received and is being considered within the triage stage. We will aim to complete the triage stage within 10 working days and will write to you again at the end of this to confirm the action we are taking, including whether your concerns have been passed to the investigation stage.
The Investigation Stage (Appeal Stage 1)
6. An investigator will be assigned from within the Student Policy, Casework and Compliance Team. The investigation will be proportionate to the scale of the issues being raised and the material impact they have had on you.
7. The findings of the investigation will be considered by an Appeal Panel. The Appeal Panel will decide whether to accept or decline your appeal. If the appeal is accepted, the Appeal Panel will decide what action to take. This may include referring the case back to the academic body for further consideration.
8. The Appeal Panel’s findings will be reported to you in writing. This response will:
• Confirm the decision and comment on any key aspects of the case.
• For accepted appeals, explain the action taken as a result and the implications of those actions in terms of assessment, progression, and awards.
• For appeals that have been declined, explain the grounds and timescales by which you may escalate your complaint to the Review Stage (Appeal Stage 2).
