Grievance and complaints

Any aspect of your experience of the university: teaching, assessment, a decision taken about you, the conduct of a member of staff or another student, the service you have received, or a failure to do something the university said it would do.

Complaints about an academic judgement of the quality of your work are handled as an academic appeal rather than a grievance, but you raise them the same way and we will route them.

Most concerns are resolved quickest by raising them directly with the person or team involved. If you would rather not do that, go straight to stage two. You are not required to attempt an informal resolution first.

Submit your complaint in writing, describing what happened, when, who was involved, and what outcome you are seeking.

You will receive an acknowledgement, the name of the person handling it, and an expected date for the outcome. The person handling it will not be someone the complaint is about.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome, you may request a review by someone senior to and independent of the original decision-maker. A review considers whether the process was followed properly and whether the outcome was reasonable on the evidence.

At the end of the process you will be given a written statement of the final outcome.

If you remain dissatisfied after our process is complete, you are entitled to take the matter outside eLadder. Students may complain to the university's accrediting body and to the relevant authorising agency, and this section will name each of them with contact details.

This route exists whatever we decide, and we will tell you about it at the end of the process rather than waiting to be asked.

No student will be disadvantaged for raising a complaint in good faith. Retaliation against someone who has complained, or who has supported a complaint, is itself a breach of the student code of conduct.