Grievances and Complaints Policy

Grievances / Appeals Procedures

All grievances/appeals against any examination procedures, or conduct of Examiners, must be received in writing by the Administrative office within 10 working days of the examination. Appeals received beyond this time will not be considered.

On the day of the examination, if a candidate has a concern with regard to the examination, they should make an appeal through the School/College appeals procedure within 24 hours.

If the appeal is not resolved internally, the School/College must detail the complaint, stating clearly and objectively the issues. This letter should be sent, together with any evidence, plus the School evaluation form, to the ITEC/CIBTAC Administrative office. This to be received within 10 working days of the examination.

On the day of the examination, if a School/College has a concern over the Multiple Choice papers, or any individual questions, they should voice these during their 10-minute viewing of the paper with the Examiner.

The Examiner has the authority to remove or amend any questions which are not applicable to a School/College due to regional or cultural differences, or international laws.

Where a question or series of questions are challenged by the School/College, for reasons other than those listed above, these issues should be documented by the School/College and submitted in writing to the ITEC/CIBTAC Administrative office within 10 working days of the examination.

In the event that a candidate wishes to appeal against an examination result, the candidate must appeal within 5 working days of receipt of the results.

The appeal in the first instance should be considered by the School/College. If the School/College support the appeal, they should submit in writing the cause for the appeal and details of their support to the ITEC/CIBTAC Administrative office. This to be received within 10 working days of the published results.

All appeals must state clearly the grievance and should where relevant, include documented evidence or witness statements.

All grievances/ appeals will be considered by the Director of Education, taking advice from the Education Team and the decision will be forwarded to the School/College within 20 working days of receipt.

If the appeal is upheld by the Board, the results where appropriate, will be adjusted. All decisions of the ITEC/CIBTAC Board are final.  Overleaf, is an information guide that schools/ colleges should issue to learners, to raise awareness. (A similar document may be issued if prior agreement is made with ITEC/CIBTAC).

GRIEVANCES AND APPEALS: A GUIDE FOR STUDENTS

ITEC/CIBTAC is committed to the maintenance and improvement of excellent academic standards in the field of beauty and holistic therapies. It aims to promote high quality learning environments in which students/ learners are stimulated and supported to achieve their full potential.

However, there may be occasions where individuals believe that an academic decision reached by the school/college or ITEC/CIBTAC is incorrect or has in some way been based on incorrect or partial information. Learners have the right to appeal against that decision without fear of reprisal or victimisation. Expect ITEC/CIBTAC to deal with an academic appeal seriously, impartially, within a reasonable timescale and, as appropriate, in confidence.

If a learner does feel aggrieved the matter should first be considered by the school/college and the learner should arrange a tutorial with a member of staff to discuss the matter. Many misunderstandings or points of clarification can be finalised at this stage. 

Circumstances in which ITEC/CIBTAC considers appeal procedures   

• those in which the ITEC/CIBTAC examiner awards what the learner has reason to believe is an incorrect mark and grade for the course or decides that they have not fully satisfied the academic and/or professional requirements for an award. 

2.  Grounds for Appeal 

The grounds on which ITEC/CIBTAC will consider an appeal against an academic decision are:

• that, in reaching its decision, ITEC/CIBTAC was unaware of factors which had affected the learner’s  performance (e.g., family or personal circumstances or ill-health), which, for valid reasons, had been unable to make known earlier; 
• there had been a mathematical or procedural error in recording or calculating the marks on which a decision was based; 
• there had been irregularities or administrative errors in the conduct of an examination or marking of course work of such a nature as to cause reasonable doubt about the examiners' decision; 
• the student has reason to believe that one or more of the examiners or markers was prejudiced or biased. 

ITEC/CIBTAC will not consider appeals on grounds other than the above, particularly:

• those made against the academic judgement, properly exercised, of duly appointed examiners 
• those made wilfully or flippantly without justifiable grounds; 
• those made on the basis of alleged insufficiencies in teaching or supervision or the provision of materials or equipment – these are matters to address with the school/ college 
• those based on ill-health or other circumstances which could and should have been reported to the school/college at the time of their occurrence 

3.  Procedures for Appeals

If a student/ learner decides to submit an appeal against an academic decision of ITEC/CIBTAC, they should consult the school/college first within 24hours of the examination.

On the day of the examination, if a learner has a concern over the Examination papers, or an individual question or the marking and grading of case studies/ portfolios, they should voice these via a college tutor to the examiner. The examiner has the authority to remove or amend any questions which are not applicable to students due to regional or cultural differences. The examiner may also choose to moderate the case study as part of the sample. This often helps to clarify marking for learners.

Where a question or series of questions are challenged by students, via the school/college, for reasons other than those listed above, these issues should be documented by the school/college and submitted in writing to the ITEC/CIBTAC administrative office within 10 working days of the examination.  The same applies to grievances against ITEC/CIBTAC practical examiners.

If the appeal is not resolved internally, within the school/college, the learner should detail the complaint, stating clearly and objectively the issues. This letter should be sent, together with any evidence, to the ITEC/CIBTAC Administrative office. This is to be received within 10 working days of the examination. It will be examined by the Director of Education and any personal information will be treated confidentially. Such information will be kept, used and shared, where necessary and appropriate with other members of the Examination Board ( Director, Assistant Education Manager & Education Team), only for the purposes of investigating and determining the outcome of the appeal.

In the event that a candidate wishes to appeal against an examination result, the candidate must appeal within 5 working days of receipt of the results.

If learners require advice on whether they have proper grounds for an appeal or need help to present the grounds of the appeal, they can seek assistance from support staff at the school/college or the Students' Union.

All appeals/ grievances will be considered by the Director of Education, in discussion with the Examination Board and the decision will be forwarded to the school/college within 20 working days of receipt. 

If it is decided that there are no grounds for appeal, the Director of Education will inform the learner of that decision and the reasons in writing within 20 working days of receiving the initial appeal. The appeal will be dismissed and no further action will be taken.

If it is decided that there are grounds for appeal, the Director of Education will inform the learner of that decision and take one of the following courses of action, depending on the grounds of the appeal:

• In the case of an appeal involving a mathematical or procedural error in calculating the learner’s eligibility for an award, the Director of Education will adjust the results.  
• In the case of an appeal involving irregularities in the assessment process, circumstances which had not been known at the time a decision was made or allegations of bias, the Director of Education will establish an appeal committee which will hear the appeal. 

4. Appeal Committee

The composition of the appeal committee will include the Examination Board plus one member who will not have been directly involved in ITEC/CIBTAC’s original decision.

The appeal committee has authority to determine the way in which it will consider the appeal before it. 

Appeals Code of Practice:

• Ensures that a learner, and other parties involved in the appeal, have access, prior to the meeting of the committee, to relevant papers, including written commentaries on the appeal and school/college responses 
• Requires that the learner be given adequate notice of the date, time and venue for the meeting, which they are be invited to attend 
• Provides for the learner to be accompanied by "a friend" of their choosing during the hearing; 
• Requires that the learner be informed in writing of the result of the appeal within 10 working days of the meeting; the learner may be notified that the decision will be delayed pending further investigation.