Grievances against a decision of the Disciplinary Appeals Committee

Students who have been brought before the Disciplinary Appeals Committee under Regulation 20 and are dissatisfied with the outcome may submit a grievance to University Council (University Council, Ordinance XXVIII).

Grievances can only be submitted on the following grounds:

(i)      there was a procedural irregularity prior to or in the conduct of the hearing. This may include issuing a penalty that is at variance with the published schedule;

(ii)     there is new evidence that can be substantiated, including extenuating circumstances, which was not known at the time and may have affected the outcome had it been known to the designated officer/Committee and that there is a valid reason for not making it known at the time.

Submitting a Grievance

Students who wish to submit a grievance should do so within 28 days (not including University closed days or Bank Holidays, but including weekends) to the Secretary to Council (Dr Simone Clarke) either by email (s.clarke@keele.ac.uk) or in writing (addressed to Dr Simone Clarke, Secretary to Council, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG) providing as much information about the background of your case as possible, which of the two criteria above that you fulfil and any documentary evidence you have in support of your case.  Please do not forget to provide your current postal address and an email address if possible.

The Process

You will receive a letter or email of acknowledgement once we have received your grievance.

The Secretary to Council (or his nominee) will gather all of the information relating to your case including the paperwork from the Disciplinary Appeals Committee to determine whether you have established a prima facie case for a grievance (whether you have in fact been able to meet one or both of the criteria for a grievance). 

Students who establish a prima facie case

Your case will be considered at a hearing. 

A panel of three members of Council will hear your case, you will be invited to attend with a friend or representative, which is advisable (see Section 2 of the Statutes, which sets out who is entitled to accompany you) and there will be a full exchange of documentation no less than 7 days in advance. 

If your case is successful it will be referred back to the Disciplinary Appeals Committee for re-consideration.

You will be issued with a Completion of Procedures letter, which explains that your case has been completed and that if you remain dissatisfied you retain the right to submit a complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA), which is an independent body established to consider student complaints.  The OIA will only accept cases from students who have exhausted all internal procedures and have been issued with a Completion of Procedures Letter. 

Further details of the OIA can be found at:  http://www.oiahe.org.uk

Students who do not establish a prima facie case

You will be issued with a Completion of Procedures letter, which explains that your case has not been successful. 

It will also explain that you retain the right to submit a complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA), which is an independent body established to consider student complaints.  The OIA will only accept cases from students who have exhausted all internal procedures and have been issued with a Completion of Procedures Letter. 

Further details of the OIA can be found at:  http://www.oiahe.org.uk

 

Contact Details for Appeals

Dr Simone Clarke, Secretary to Council

Email: s.clarke@keele.ac.uk

Address: Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG

 

Mrs Fiona Dumbelton, Governance Manager

Tel: 01782 733373

Email: f.dumbelton@keele.ac.uk

Address: Planning and Academic Administration, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG