The London College of Law – Equal Opportunities Statement Of Policy
The aim of this policy is to communicate the commitment of the organisation's staff to promotion of the equality of opportunity within our training environment.
It is our policy to provide training equality to all, irrespective of:
• Gender, martial, or family status
• Religious belief or political opinion
• Disability
• Race or ethnic origin
• Nationality
• Sexual orientation
• Age
We are opposed to all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination. All trainees will be treated fairly in regard to selection for any other benefit or performance related grading will be done only on the basis of aptitude and ability.
We recognise that the provision of equal opportunities in our training is not only good management practice; it also makes sound business sense. Our equal opportunities policy will help all trainees to develop their full potential. We are committed to comply with The Race Relation Act 1975, Equal Pay Act 1970, Amendment act 2000, The sex Discrimination Act 1975, The Equal Pay Act 1970, Disability Discrimination 1995 as well as all other best practice diversity policies currently in use in the UK .
The London College of Law – complaints procedure
Trainees who believe that they suffered any form of poor customer service, discrimination, harassment, victimisation or unfair treatment in any way are entitled to raise the matter with their course tutor in the first instance and if the problem is not resolved satisfactorily then a complaint should be made to the jobcentre plus contact officer that you have met on the project. All complaints will be dealt with seriously, promptly and confidentially. Every effort will be made to ensure that trainees making complaints will not be victimised. Any complaints of victimisation, if proved, will result in disciplinary action and may warrant dismissal. The trainee making a complaint will receive written notification as to the outcome.
TYPES OF ISSUES THAT WOULD TRIGGER OFF THE APPEALS OR GRIEVANCES PROCEDURES.
• Objection to an assessment decision that has been made for any part of a unit, or concerning the final assessment judgement.
• Alleged unprofessional conduct by an assessor, internal verifier or any TPC staff member of unsatisfactory conditions.
APPEALS & GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
All candidates have to be made aware of TPC appeal & grievance procedures.
Appeals & grievance procedures exist to ensure that any problems or issues a city & guilds/ILEX candidate (you) might wish to raise concerning the Assessors, Internal Verifiers, TPC staff members, or unsatisfactory working conditions or procedures can be dealt with formally.
How does it work?
You must submit all appeals and complaints in writing by you
It is important that details of all supporting evidence are submitted
Stage 1
An appeal or grievance may be resolved, in the first instance, a written complaint must be submitted to the centre QAC within 20 working days after you have received your examination or assessment result or within 20 working days of any incident formally complained about by you in writing.
The centre QAC then reviews the examination, assessment result or the complaint and seeks to resolve the matter as soon as possible, within 10 working days.
Stage 2
If the matter remains unresolved it shall be referred to the centre appeals – sub committee which shall attempt to resolve the matter within the further period of five working days. The appeal sub-committee will consist of the internal verifier a qualified solicitor and the external verifier (if appropriate).
Stage 3
If Either the centre QAC or the centre appeals sub-committee agrees with your grounds of appeal fill in a review form and send it to city & guilds on your behalf providing that the matter is an appeal against your examination or assessment. On the other hand if your grounds off appeal is in relation to other types of grievances or complaints and the matter remains unresolved after being reviewed by the centre QAC or the centre appeals sub-committee then a formal complaint should be sent by you in writing to the city & guilds customer relations department (who will try & resolve the matter) at the following address:
Customer relations
City & Guilds
1 Giltspur Street
London
EC1A 9DD
Stage 4
(Regarding appeals against examination & assessment decisions)
However, if you want to write to city & guilds directly, you need to fill in a review form yourself. You can get this from your centre or city guilds customer relations department. You should send the filled in form and fee to city & guilds within 60 working days of when you receive your result.
City & guilds will tell you or your centre about their decision. This will be after city & guilds have:
- Carried out an administrative check of your work within 10 working days of receiving your request to look at your case, or
- Reassessed your work within 20 working days of receiving your request to look at your case.
City & guilds will tell your centre the date when they will make a decision.
If city & guilds decide to change the result, then they will:
• Refund your fee
• Change the result, and
• Send you a new certificate free of charge.
Stage 5
The appeals process
City & guilds appeal board
If you are not happy with the result of the review, you or your centre should ask us to send your appeal to our appeals board (the board).
Or, if you are not happy with city &guilds response to a complaint you have made about an assessment that was been carried out by your centre, you may also appeal to the board.
In either case, the board will then look at our decision. City & guilds will send you form GAB with the results of the review or outcome of your complaint. This will tell you where to send your request for an appeal. After you receive the review result, you have to send your filled-in form to the clerk of the board, within 10 working days.
Send it together with the fee to:
The clerk of the group appeals board
City & guilds
1 giltspur street
London
EC1A 9DD
Phone: 020 7294 2605
Fax: 020 7294 2415
The clerk will give all the documents about your appeal to the board within 30 working days of receiving your form.
The board will look at the information and decide whether all procedures have been correctly followed. They may want to speak to you, your centre and the examiners or staff.
This part of the process will lead to one of two results:
• The board will agree with the review decision (if they do, they will tell you why).
• Or, the board will decide that the correct procedures have not been followed and will tell city & guilds that we must change the result of your examination or assessment.
The board will give you decision within five working days making it.
If the board's decision is in your favour, city & guilds will:
Refund your fees
- Change your results, and
- Send you a new certificate free of charge, or
- Let your and your centre know our decision about your assessment.
The board will keep all documents about your appeal for at least six months. During that period, they can send you copies of those papers if you ask for them, but they will charge you a fee to cover the cost of the copying.
Stage 6
The Appeal Tribunal
If you are not happy with the result of the board's decision, you can ask the appeals tribunal (the tribunal) to review the decision. City & guilds will send you a form AT with the decision of the board. This will tell you where to send your appeal. You must send this form to the clerk of the board within 15 working days of the date on the form.
You must send it with the fee to:
The clerk of the appeals tribunal
City & Guilds
1 Giltspur Street
London
EC1A 9DD
Phone: 020 7294 2605
Fax:020 7294 2415
You can bring a friend to the appeal hearing or ask a legal, union or professional representative to go for you.
City & Guilds will give you the result of the appeal within five working days of the hearing.
If the appeal is allowed, City & Guilds will:
• Change your result
• Send you a new certificate free of charge, and
• Refund your hearing fee, or
• Let you and your centre know our decision about your assessment.
You can get a copy of the city & guilds group review, appeals and complaints against assessments – policy and processes document, together with the fees we charge, from:
Customer relations
1 Giltspur Street
London
EC1A 9DD
Phone:020 7294 2800
Fax: 020 7294 2405
E-mail: enquiry@city-and-guilds.co.uk
INSTANCE IN, WHICH THE EXTERNAL VERIFIER'S INTERVENTION WOULD BE NEEDED
At any point at all where a second opinion is sought. To sit on the centre appeals sub-committee (if appropriate) |
