Buckinghamshire New University

Local Academic Appealand Record Form

This form must be used to submit a local appeal under the Academic Appeals Process. A local appeal can only be raised against the decision of anAssessment Board, or an outcome from either an MPhil / PhD Transfer Panel or Research Viva Panel.By submitting your appeal you are agreeing to any information and evidence you submit being shared as is necessary to process your appeal.

  • Refer to our Academic Appeals pages for more information and guidance on the process. Further guidance is included at the end of the form.
  • Complete Part A of the form only. Part B will be completed by the person investigating your appeal on behalf of the academic area responsible.
  • Submit the formby email to your Registry Officer within 10 working days of the outcome. Appeals against an MPhil / PhD Transfer Panel or Research Viva Panel should instead be submitted to the Research & Enterprise Development (RED) Unit.
  • Documentary Evidence should be supplied with your formfor each ground for appealbeing cited
  • Dissatisfaction with the result of an assessment or decision is not grounds for an appeal.

PART A – To be completed by the student

Personal Information

Surname:
First name:
Student ID:
Email address:
Contact Telephone:
Are you registered with the University’s Disability Service? / Yes ☐ / No ☐

Appeal Information

Course Name:
Year of Study:
Modules (if applicable):
Decision against which you are appealing (tick one only): / Assessment Board ☐ / MPhil / PhD Transfer Panel ☐
Research Viva Panel ☐
Date of formal notification of outcome / result:
Date of submission of appeal:

Grounds for Appeal (see over)

  • A Procedural Irregularity is a failure to follow the process or rules in place for making decisions, or when a decision has been made based on an error of fact.

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Ground(s) / Student Statement / Evidence to support appeal
Procedural Irregularity
☐ / Work not assessed in accordance with regulations
☐ / Mathematical or recording error
☐ / Board / Panel not properly constituted
☐ / Board / Panel did not act within regulations and procedures
☐ / Prejudice or Bias of marker / moderator
☐ / Prejudice or Bias of Board / Panel Member / Head of School
☐ / Other (specify)

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Preferred Outcome

Please indicate your preferred outcome if your appeal is upheld. Note: This will depend upon the relevant regulations and may not be possible.

PART B – To be completed by the Investigator

Appeal Investigation

Name of Investigator:
School / Directorate:
Date appointed:
Date completed:

Findings

Outcome: / Fully Upheld ☐ / Partially Upheld ☐ / Rejected ☐

Note: An appeal should only be fully upheld where all grounds of the student’s appeal have been upheld. If some parts of the appeal are upheld and others are rejected, the appeal should be partially upheld. Use the box below to explain the rationale for the decision given above. This should clearly indicate a response to each part of the student’s appeal statement above.

Timeline of Investigation

Add additional rows as necessary. Please assign an appendix identified to each filename, e.g. AppxB

Date: / Activity: / Evidence:

Other documentary evidence considered

Add additional rows as necessary.

Document: / Filename / Appendix:

Communication of outcomes

Fully or Partially Upheld Appeals

Please explain in the box below what has been done to review the decision and how the outcome of this will be sent to the student (if not included with this response).

Rejected Appeals

Please explain in the box below what alternative action/support the student should seek if appropriate (e.g. student complaint, mitigating circumstances claim, careers advice and support)

Recommendations

If there are recommendations to changes in process or procedure in the light of the investigation, these should be listed below, indicating who should be responsible for taking the matter forward.

Recommendation: / Responsible Person:

Please ensure that this form and all accompanying documentation are forwarded to the Registry Officer for recording and monitoring purposes.

Additional Guidance for Students

The Appeals process should not be used to make a claim for mitigating circumstances or to make a complaint about a perceived lack of service or failing of the University. Please see the Academic Advice pages for more information about the range of options available to you.

Advice and support

  • You should speak to yourRegistry Officer in the Student & Course Administration Team as they will be able to explain in more detail any decision (e.g. how your award has been calculated) and what this means to you. Your Programme Handbook will contain contact details.
  • The Governance and Quality Team will also be able to provide information on how the appeals process works. You can contact them on .
  • You are strongly recommended to contact the Students’ Union Advice Centre, as they will be able to support and advise you in making an appeal. You can contact them at either the High Wycombe or Uxbridge Campus offices. For more information about services and opening times, visit their webpages, email or call 01494 603016.
  • The University does not allow formal legal representation as part of its internal appeals process.

What happens next?

  • A local appeal is the first stage of the appeals process and a member of the School teaching team will be asked to investigate your appeal.
  • The Investigator will respond to the issues you have raised and will complete the ‘Record’ of the local appeal investigation (Part B).
  • If your appeal is upheld, the Assessment Board (or other Panel) will be asked to reconsider your profile. The outcome of this will be communicated to you in writing.
  • Regardless of the outcome of your appeal, the Investigator may also make Recommendations if they wish to identify improvements to University procedures.

What if I am still unhappy with the outcome of my local appeal?

If you are not happy with the outcome of the local appeal, you should escalate your appeal to the formal stage by submitting a Notice of Formal Academic Appealwithin 10 working days of the outcome of the local appeal. The form can be downloaded via the Academic Appeals webpages. You should email your completed form to and enclose this form.

Tier 4 Student Visa Holders

Please note that lodging an academic appeal does not extend your immigration permission in the UK as a student. If your Tier 4 student visa is due to expire prior to receiving a decision on your appeal, you are still expected to leave the UK before your visa expires. Should you have any questions regarding your Tier 4 student visa, please contact the Compliance and Administration Manager in the Marketing & Student Recruitment Directorate.

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