National MA Education (Wales) Complaints Procedure
The National MA Education (Wales) Partnership is committed to providing a high-quality experience for its students, supported by appropriate academic, administrative and welfare support services and facilities. However, there will be instances when students may feel dissatisfied with the teaching and learning, facilities or services provided by the partnership.
If you have a problem while you are pursuing the National MA Education (Wales) – please let us know. By doing so, you will help us improve our services to you and to other students.
Who can make a complaint under this procedure?
The Complaints Procedure can be used if you are enrolled as a student at any University within the National MA Education (Wales) partnership and you have a complaint about your programme of study or you are dissatisfied with any related service the partnership provides. The Complaints Procedure can also be used if you are a former student of the National MA Education (Wales) partnership who has withdrawn from or completed the programme, as long as the complaint is made within 3 months of the date of your withdrawal/completion or within 3 months of the date of the event(s) giving rise to the complaint whichever is the earlier date.
Who will know about my complaint?
Where possible the privacy of the complainant and anyone against whom a complaint has been made will be respected and enquiries made confidentially. It may, however, be necessary to disclose information to others in order to investigate the complaint and, in these circumstances, all those involved will be notified.
How do I make a complaint?
In the first instance, complaints should be dealt with locally via the Complaints Procedure at the University at which a student is registered.
In the event that concerns are not able to be resolved locally or a student feels unable to approach the relevant individual(s) directly, a written complaint should be submitted to the National MA Education (Wales) Complaints Manager.
Your complaint should set out:
· Details of your complaint – be brief and to the point, and refer to any specific events and dates;
· Any informal steps you have taken (to include the names of staff involved) and the outcomes;
· Why you remain dissatisfied;
· What outcome you are seeking;
· Copies of any documents / correspondence which is relevant to, or support, your complaint.
If a partner institution receives a complaint which they perceive to be about the national programme they may escalate this to the National Management Board for consideration by emailing it to EMAIL with a brief rationale for escalation.
You can send your complaint confidentially to the National MA Education (Wales) Complaints Manager via email (at EMAIL)
The Complaints Manager will write to you to confirm safe receipt of your complaint and may ask you to provide further information / clarification. They will seek to provide you with a written response to your complaint within 20 working days. (You should expect to be kept informed if, for whatever reason, the Complaints Manager is unable to meet this deadline).
The National Management Board (NMB) has overall responsibility for the strategic oversight leadership, management, delivery and development of the National MA Education (Wales) and is responsible for complaint oversight and resolution. Where a student has been given a formal decision/outcome under relevant regulations/procedure, the student may request a final review of the decision/outcome by the National MA Education (Wales) Management Board.
What can I do if my complaint still isn’t resolved?
If you feel that your complaint still hasn’t been resolved, you may then consider asking the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) to externally review the handling of your case. Further information about the OIA can be obtained from the OIA’s website: http://www.oiahe.org.uk/