Concerns & Complaints

Should bullying or harassment arise during the course of study or within student accommodation students may wish to seek guidance from a Personal Tutor, Student Union Welfare Advisor or the Student Union Vice-President (Education and Welfare). These individuals can:

• provide a supportive, confidential and informal environment in which to discuss issues regarding harassment and/or bullying
• provide information on the options that are available
• assist those seeking advice in thinking those options through
• empathise without judgement
• accompany individuals at meetings in an informal capacity or under their ‘right to be accompanied’ (providing all parties involved are in agreement)
• if appropriate, signpost to other sources of support/advice.

Reports of bullying and harassment by other students or staff at City St George’s will be considered in accordance with the Dignity at Study Policy.

City St George’s is committed to a working and learning environment where people can achieve their full potential free of all types of harassment.  The university recognises sexual harassment and sexual violence are prevalent in all areas of society, including higher education, and can take many forms. The Assault and Sexual Assault Policy explains the specific steps City St George’s will take to support students who are accused of, or are the victim of, sexual or physical assault.

In most cases, we expect and aim to resolve problems at an early opportunity and in the simplest way. The process we use is described in our Student Complaints Regulation as Early Resolution (Stage 1).

You may wish to contact a member of staff directly or you could log some feedback on GetHeard which can be made visible to staff on the public board. If you have set out a concern and what resolution you would like, you can expect an appropriate acknowledgement and update from staff.

Although this stage is informal we would recommend that you keep your own record of the key events, times, and people involved, both in relation to your complaint and the steps taken to try and resolve it.

You should register your complaint within three months of the event which has given rise to it (or, if it relates to a series of events, within three months of the last event in the series).

At this stage you may find it helpful to consult the City St George’s Students’ Union Advice Service who are able to provide free, confidential advice to students concerning academic issues. Their aim is to help resolve any problems at the earliest possible stage so as to reduce any further impact on your studies.

Where it is not possible for a concern to be resolved at the informal or semi-formal stage, a student may make a formal complaint in writing to the Student Conduct and Compliance Team. Unless circumstances are deemed to be exceptional, City St George’s will normally expect to see evidence that attempts have been made to resolve the situation informally or semi-formally before the initiation of a formal investigation.

Students wishing to submit a formal complaint to City St George’s should read the Student Complaints Procedure carefully.

Paragraph 5 of the procedure sets out the sources of support available to complainants.

Download the Student Complaints Form (formal stage) (Word).

Include a short, focused written statement of the nature and subject of the complaint and reasoning for why the matter could not be resolved under the informal or semi-formal procedures. All evidence on which the complaint is based must be submitted alongside the Student Complaints Form at the time the complaint is lodged.

Submit the completed form, along with any supporting documentation, to the Student Conduct and Compliance Team within 15 working days of receiving the written response to your Stage 1 complaint.

• Email: scc@sgul.ac.uk
• Mail: City St George’s University of London, GLAS, 6th Floor, Hunter Wing, SW17 0RE.

Students cannot request a review of the Stage 2 complaint because they are dissatisfied with the outcome. A Stage 3 review may only be requested if there are valid grounds. The process for requesting a Stage 3 review is outlined in paragraph 62 of the Procedure.

Once City St George’s internal procedures have been concluded, if you are not satisfied with the outcome of your Stage 3 complaint you have the option to apply to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education for an external review of City St George’s decision. Information and eligibility rules are available at: oiahe.org.uk.

As at the earlier stages of resolution, you may wish to complain to the OIA as a group if a number of students have complaints about the same or very similar issues. It is possible for some but not all of the students who complained at Stage 3 to refer their complaint to the OIA.

It may also be possible for additional students to join a complaint made to the OIA because their complaint is so similar to something that has already been raised with the University and where the outcome was not felt to be satisfactory