Reviews and appeals
If you are unhappy with the support put in place for you by the Disability and Inclusive Practice Service, the first thing to do would be to arrange a meeting with an adviser to discuss the issue. If, after this, you still feel the issue has not been resolved, you should email disability@lancaster.ac.uk requesting a formal review. The process is explained below. For these purposes, a ‘relevant person’ means the following:
- a student registered on a programme within the University, or
- an applicant for an undergraduate programme within the University who holds a ‘firm acceptance offer from the University;
- an applicant who has confirmed attendance but has not yet formally registered;
- an applicant for postgraduate study who has accepted their offer from the University.
Reviews shall be conducted by a suitably qualified member of the University other than the person who made the initial decision.
A pool of qualified staff will be identified by the Head of Student Wellbeing Services and approved by the Provost for Student Experience, Colleges and the Library. The review will consider the original decision and express a view on whether it was appropriate in light of the presented evidence. Should the review suggest alternate arrangements, the reviewer will discuss this with the person who made the original decision and agree a collective decision. If no collective decision can be reached, a final decision will be taken by the Head of Student Wellbeing Services.
Following a review, a relevant person can request that a review is further reviewed by the University, which will be known as an appeal. An appeal will only be considered if it can be shown that there is evidence:
- that new material exists that could not reasonably have been adduced at the earlier stages; or
- of a material procedural irregularity in the earlier decisions; or
- that the earlier decision was perverse (that is to say, a decision that no reasonable person could have reached).
Requests for an appeal under these criteria should be lodged with a Senior Governance Officer, including supporting written evidence. The Strategic Planning and Governance Office shall consider the case to establish whether there is a prima facie case. If no prima facie case is identified then a completion of procedures letter will be provided. Should it be determined that a prima facie case does exist then a panel shall be empanelled to consider the case. A panel shall consist of three members; two staff and a student. An additional employee will be in attendance to service the review. Members of the panel will be approved by the Provost for Student Experience, Colleges and the Library.
The relevant person will be invited to attend a panel hearing to which they may be accompanied and/or represented. If present, the relevant person will be invited to make an opening statement as to why, in their view, the case should be subject to review. This will be restricted to consideration against the identified review grounds. The panel will then question the relevant person. The relevant person will then be given the opportunity to present a final summation. In reaching the decision, the burden of proof shall be on the relevant person, and the standard of proof will be on the balance of probability.
Following the proceedings, the panel will deliberate in private and will determine their conclusions. The relevant person will receive a written decision that addresses the points they have made and gives reasons for the conclusion reached. They will also receive a Completion of Procedures letter that will advise the relevant person of their right to refer the matter to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator and describe the means to do so.