GQAL’s CUSTOMER SERVICES covers the following policies and procedures:
GQAL seeks to continuously improve the way we work and the quality of service we provide. The following standards cover the services that we offer to centres, candidates and parents in the provision of qualifications. These services involve providing relevant information, answering enquiries and managing the examination and assessment process.
Standard 1. | Answer your letters clearly and within 15 working days of receipt. |
Standard 2. | See you within 15 minutes of any pre-arranged time for appointments at our offices. |
Standard 3. | Provide regular information about qualifications our qualifications and services. |
Standard 4. | Provide enough notice to ensure no cohort is impacted by any significant changes to assessment and examination requirements. |
Standard 5. | Provide enough notice of the withdrawal of a specification to ensure any cohort that has started the qualification can complete it. |
Standard 6. | Consult users regularly about services and report on findings. |
Standard 7. | Have a complaints and compliments procedure and send you information about it on request. |
Standard 8. | Take all reasonable steps to make services accessible to everyone (including people with special needs and disability). |
Standard 9. | Provide professional, courteous and efficient treatment. |
Standard 10. | Clarity in explaining our position. We will answer your questions in a clear and concise manner. We will explain how decisions were made and convey this information in understandable language. |
GQAL values compliments, these will always be fed back to appropriate personnel. They are invaluable for maintaining and improving our reputation and therefore contribute to our community of professional practitioners. They provide us with the evidence to develop our qualification base.
Please send your comments to:
Post to: Helen Mence, Responsible Officer, GQAL, International Arts Centre, Garden Street, Leicester. LE1 3UA
Email to: Helen@gqal.org
Centres/teachers should send all specific enquiries, requests for advice and completed application forms directly to Helen Mence, Responsible Officer at the Graded Qualifications Alliance, Garden Street, Leicester. LE1 3UA.
Historical evidence of the candidate's needs and an indication of how these needs have been met during the Programme of Study must be provided to the Awarding Organisation. Centres will be expected to establish that the candidate's needs have been recognised over the duration of the Programme of Study and that the adjustments requested for the examination reflect past and present requirements.
In the case of learning difficulties, evidence of need should be confirmed by a history of provision during the Programme of Study within the school/college, supported by current medical/psychological evidence from a competent person to support the application. (A competent person is defined as a Medical Doctor, Chartered Psychologist or a Full/Affiliated Member of the Association of Educational Psychologists or person of similar professional and relevant standing.)
Application is by letter to Helen Mence, Responsible Officer, Graded Qualifications Alliance, Garden Street, Leicester. LE1 3UA. This should be received at least 12 weeks before the intended date of examination. The letter must include the following information:
The guiding principle in practical assessments must be safety at all times. Candidates must neither endanger other candidates nor endanger themselves. In every case centres must ensure that the Programme of Study and an Examination is suitable for the candidate and not beyond his or her physical capabilities. This requires that the candidate’s needs should have been recognised over a period of time and the adjustments proposed for the Programme of Study and Examination should reflect past and present need. If no previous adjustments have been made, centres must consider very carefully whether arrangements are justified. Where any doubt exists centres must contact GQAL before a candidate commences work on a Programme of Study leading to an examination.
The centre must avoid misleading the parents, students and other interested parties about the candidate’s likely acceptance for the examination and the level of attainment possible. Where an examiner/assessor has reasonable grounds for believing that candidates might either endanger other candidates or endanger themselves the examiner/assessor is required by GQAL not to proceed with the examination and to inform GQAL immediately that this is the case.
Reasonable adjustments are intended to enable the candidate to demonstrate his or her level of attainment, but the centre must ensure and the examiner/assessor must be satisfied that they do not give the candidate an unfair advantage over other candidates in the same examination.
Following an application for special consideration GQAL may make an exceptional circumstance award, provided that additional appropriate pre-existing evidence of attainment is available.
The centre is responsible for discussing the possible need for special consideration with the examiner/assessor before the examination starts. The examiner/assessor and centre must be satisfied beyond all reasonable doubt that the case of an individual candidate is genuine. The examiner/assessor will notify GQAL (if possible before the examination starts) the examiner/assessor will send GQAL a confidential written report about the circumstances. The centre must submit a letter requesting special consideration to GQAL as soon as possible after the examination and not later than 2 days after the date of the examination. This letter must provide medical or other appropriate evidence to support the request.
If an appeal is to be made against GQAL’s decision for reasonable adjustments and special consideration it must be made in writing to the Responsible Officer within 30 days of receipt of notification of a decision as a complaint. The Responsible Officer will refer the appeal to a GQAL Appeals Panel who will deal with it in accordance with the Appeals Policy.
GQAL acknowledges its responsibility to deal with any issues of malpractice or maladministration on the part of candidates, centre staff or any others involved in providing their qualifications.
GQAL is obliged to investigate all cases of malpractice or maladministration in liaison with the parties concerned. If an investigation results in evidence of malpractice or maladministration, GQAL will take the necessary steps to ensure that the candidates’ interests are protected as far as is reasonably possible, this may include making arrangements for re-assessment or re-certification. GQAL will take action to prevent a reoccurrence of the malpractice or maladministration and where necessary will impose an appropriate sanction.
Malpractice is defined as any activity or practice, which deliberately contravenes regulations and compromises the integrity of the assessment process and/or the validity of certificates. For the purpose of this policy this term also covers misconduct.
The categories listed below are examples of potential malpractice. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.
Anybody who suspects malpractice at any time must immediately report their findings to the Responsible Officer
Maladministration is defined as any activity or practice, which results in non-compliance with regulations. Anybody identifying cases of maladministration should report them to the Responsible Officer.
The categories listed below are examples of potential maladministration Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.
Anybody who suspects maladministration at any time must immediately report it to the Responsible Officer
We would expect centres approved by GQAL to carry out their own initial investigations into any suspected malpractice. We will provide guidance and support to centres to put arrangements in place to prevent and investigate malpractice.
The report is received by the Responsible Officer who reviews it and decides whether:
In the case of a report of suspected malpractice the Responsible Officer must be informed immediately, followed up by the information below:
The Responsible Officer will review the report, decide whether to recommend further investigation and respond to the informant within 5 working days to set out the initial findings and decision based on one of the three options above. Should the Responsible Officer wish to launch an investigation they will carry out the following action.
The Responsible Officer will invite members of the Examination Standards Committee to take part in the investigation. A requirement for members of the investigation panel will be that they:
Members of the investigation panel will be expected to confirm their objectivity in the investigation and any potential conflicts of interest should be stated in advance of the investigation. Should there be a potential conflict of interest the Responsible Officer may decide to remove that person from the panel depending on the nature of the conflict.
The team will look through all the evidence presented and carry out further investigation to establish the nature of the malpractice and establish the facts of the case. They may need to:
After reviewing all the evidence, the team will come to a decision (this has to be a majority decision within the group if not unanimous) and inform the Responsible Officer. The team should report its findings formally to the Examination Standards Committee who will ratify the decision before the parties involved are informed of the decision.
Those involved will normally be informed within 30 days unless there is a reason why the investigation cannot be completed within that time, e.g. in some cases the investigation may take longer if GQAL deems it necessary to carry out site visits. In such instances, GQAL will advise all parties concerned of the likely revised timescale. If this is the case the team should inform the Responsible Officer who will in turn inform the parties involved of the delay and expected new timescale.
GQAL expects all parties, who are either directly or indirectly involved in the investigation, to fully co-operate. In instances where a centre or its candidates do not co-operate, GQAL may have no alternative but to take action against those involved for non-compliance. Possible actions for non-compliance can be found in GQAL’s Sanctions Policy. During the investigation the review process may involve:
There may be instances where the Examination Standards Committee wishes to refer the decision about the investigation to the Board of Directors. In all cases of malpractice the Responsible Officer will report any investigations and outcomes to the Board of Directors for note. However, in cases where the Board of Directors is called on to make or ratify a decision by the Examination Standards Committee, the majority vote will apply.
GQAL will consider all factors put forward by the centre or the candidate in determining the appropriate sanctions. GQAL’s Sanctions Policy provides information about the range and degree of sanctions that may be imposed. These will be determined in proportion to the scale and type of malpractice.
The Responsible Officer will inform the regulators if a malpractice investigation is taking place, where appropriate GQAL will agree the appropriate course of action with the regulator. GQAL will co-operate with the regulators should it be decided that they need to participate in or in exceptional cases lead the investigation. There may involve:
In cases where certificates for qualifications approved by the regulatory authorities are deemed to be invalid, we will inform the centre, the candidate and the regulatory authorities of the reasons why they are invalid and provide details of action to be taken for reassessment and/or certification.
After an investigation, the team will produce a draft report for the centre to check for factual accuracy. Any subsequent amendments will be agreed between the centre and us.
Once the report has been ratified by the Examination Standards Committee, and the Board of Directors, it will be made available as a final report to the centre, and to the regulatory authorities and other external agencies as required.
We will advise all interested parties of the outcome of our investigation within 10 working days of making our decision.
If an independent/third party notified us of the suspected or actual case of malpractice, we will inform them of the outcome.
Any sanctions imposed will be decided by the Examination Standards Committee and ratified by the Board of Directors. Those involved will be informed as part of the reporting process.
Sanctions will be imposed based on the scale and nature of the malpractice and will be imposed in a proportionate manner as outlined in the Sanctions Policy.
The Responsible Officer will monitor the agreed sanctions. Any actions that need to be taken as part of these sanctions will be monitored by the Responsible Officer and reported to the Board of Directors.
Should any additional measure be required (e.g. for continued non-compliance during the monitoring period) the Responsible Officer will request a decision to be made by the Board of Directors to extend the sanction finish date or escalate them.
Either at notification of a suspected case of malpractice or at any time during the investigation, GQAL reserves the right to suspend any claims for candidate certification submitted by the centre involved.
If an appeal is to be made against GQAL’s decision to impose sanctions, it must be made in writing to the Responsible Officer within 30 days of receipt of notification of a sanction. The Responsible Officer will refer the appeal to a GQAL Appeals Panel for a final decision.
Timelines |
---|
Results, certificates and profiles will be issued within 6 working weeks of the examination date. |
All applications for enquiries about results will be acknowledged within 7 working days of receipt. |
Requests for a clerical re-check for an individual candidate will be responded to within 7 working days of receipt. |
Requests for a review and re-mark for an individual candidate will be responded to within 14 working days of receipt. |
Requests for a review and moderation for a group of candidates will be responded to within a 6 working week period from receipt. |
This is a service provided by GQAL and sits outside the appeals process. The Enquiries on Results Service may only be requested by the Head of the Centre, on behalf of candidates or parents. All enquiries about results must only be made to GQAL. All applications for the Enquiries on Results Service will be acknowledged within 7 working days of receipt. If you have not received an acknowledgement within this period, you should inform GQAL’s Head Office immediately.
Three levels of enquiries are available to Centres that have entered candidates for GQAL Awards:
A full clerical re-check including the provision of a statement of the marks by assessment criteria for an individual candidate.
A review of the mark records and a re-mark of the examination for an individual candidate by the Independent Assessor, a full clerical re-check and statement of marks by assessment criteria.
Review and moderation of all the mark records for a group of candidates, by a moderator together with a full clerical re-check and statement of marks by assessment criteria. Centres should bear in mind that if the results are deemed to be correct as issued there is a charge made for this service. Details of current fees can be found in the fees section of the GQAL’s website. Only one review and re-mark will be allowed for each candidate's result.
Centres may in addition, request a review and moderation of all the mark records for a group of candidates.
(a) submitted to GQAL by the Head of Centre responsible for the candidate's entry;
(b) submitted within two working weeks of the receipt of the results. (Centres are advised that they should submit enquiries as soon as possible after the results have been issued. Requests received after the time allowed will not be accepted);
(c) accompanied by a consent form and a letter stating the reasons for the enquiry.
GQAL will not consider:
(a) any telephone requests for Enquiries on Results Service;
(b) any direct requests for Enquiries on Results Service from candidates or their parents.
GQAL will provide written notification to the Centre of the outcome of the enquiry. If the outcome of an enquiry is considered by GQAL to bring into question the accuracy of the results for other candidates in that or other groups, the outcome of the original enquiry will be notified to the Centre and GQAL will extend the enquiry to include any other candidates who may have been affected. The Centre will be notified of the further investigation and the outcome.
As a consequence of a change in the Final Award GQAL will:
(a) notify the Centre at once in writing;
(b) make no charge for the candidate enquiry fee where a grade is amended or, in the case of the review and moderation service, charge a proportion of the total fee as is appropriate to the circumstances;
(c) issue a revised statement of results and/or issue a revised certificate where necessary, when the original certificate has been returned.
In cases where a clerical check, review, re-mark or moderation reveals inaccurate marking or a clerical error, marks may be confirmed, lowered or raised and the award of a Pass, Merit or Distinction may also be confirmed, lowered or raised. Centres must advise candidates and or parents of these possible outcomes and the candidate’s informed consent must be sought before any application is submitted. Please note that by counter-signing and submitting an application form the Centre confirms that the candidate and parent(s) are aware of the possible outcomes and has consented to the application. It is the responsibility of the Head of Centre to ensure that all candidates involved in enquiries about results are aware of and accept the possible outcomes of an enquiry.
This will consist of the following:
a) a clerical re-check consisting of all items 1 above;
b) a check on the applicable Independent Assessor standardisation records and the Centre standardisation records;
c) a review of the assessment documentation and the original marks awarded for assessment criteria undertaken against the approved mark scheme for the examination, by the Assessment Standards Officer who will confirm or amend the original marks.
This is a review and moderation of all the mark records for a group of candidates by a moderator, together with a full clerical re-check and statement of marks by component and assessment category and consists of:
a) a complete review, including clerical checks, by the Assessment Standards Officer and an independent expert, of all stages in the examination process prior to the issue of the results for a group of candidates.
b) a check on the applicable Independent Assessor standardisation records, Centre standardisation records and standardisation archive materials;
c) a written report from the original Independent Assessor;
d) the provision to the centre of a report by the Assessment Standards Officer on the results of the review;
e) the provision of the moderated final scores.
NB. When a review and moderation has been requested, no request for a clerical check, review or re-mark of the examination results for an individual candidate entered for that group will be accepted.
After the outcome of an Enquiry on Results Service has been reported, the Head of Centre may appeal against the decision. Appeals on behalf of an individual candidate or a group of candidates can only be made by the Head of Centre responsible for the entry. All appeals must be made in writing and in accordance with the requirements set out in the Appeals Procedure.
The lowering of a subject grade following an enquiry, or any subsequent appeal will only apply;
i) if the marks for an assessment criterion are lowered;
ii) if the enquiry is initiated by the Centre.
If for any reason a review or re-mark is initiated by GQAL, final scores can only be confirmed or raised.
It is essential that any candidate involved in an enquiry or any subsequent appeal about a GQAL Examination is made fully aware of the potential outcomes. GQAL strongly suggests that this information is made available to candidates in writing and require that formal written consent is received from the candidate (if over the age of 18 years) or from the parent or guardian in the case of a minor. A suggested template for this purpose is available from Head Office. Centres may adapt it for their own use, for example by incorporating the name of the School or College. A copy of the signed consent form should be sent when the enquiry about results is initiated.
By signing the application form for an enquiry, the Head of the Centre is confirming to GQAL that the candidate has been fully informed of the possible outcomes and has given consent to the enquiry being made.
The consent of candidates is not formally required before an enquiry is made about the results for a group of candidates or examination session. However, GQAL recommends that candidates should be made aware that the Centre intends to make an enquiry and that this may result in the final scores for any or all the candidates involved, being confirmed, raised or lowered.
Timelines |
---|
The Appeals process consists of the final stage open to Centres on behalf of candidates after having used the Enquiry on Results service. Appeals must be submitted, in writing, by the Centre within 14 working days of the date on which notification of the final outcome of the Enquiry upon Results is received by the Centre. All applications for appeals will be acknowledged within 7 working days of receipt. |
Stage 1 Appeal The appellant will be informed of the result of the appeal within a 5 working week period from the date on which the appeal was received. The Centre will need to notify GQAL within 14 working days of the Stage 1 outcome if it wants to progress to Stage 2. |
Stage 2 Appeal The appellant will be advised of the date of the hearing within a 4 working week period from the date on which the appeal was received. |
The appellant will be informed of the result of the appeal within 5 working days of the date of the hearing. |
The Appeals Procedure is the final approach open to Centres after having used the Enquiry on Results service.
Centres should bear in mind that there is a charge made for this service should the Appeal be turned down. Details of current fees can be found in the fees section of the GQAL’s website.
Appeals must be submitted in writing, by the Centre to the Responsible Office of GQAL within 14 working days of the date on which notification of the final outcome of the Enquiry on Results is received by the Centre.
Formal notification of the intention to appeal should include the following information:
(a) Name(s) and Identification number(s) of candidate(s);
(b) Grades;
(c) Date of Independent Assessment;
(d) Simple statement of the reason(s) for making the appeal;
(e) Full description of the reason for appeal.
Where the Centre considers that a common issue applies to a number of candidates from the centre, a joint application for those candidates should be made. Receipt of this notification will be acknowledged in writing.
The focus of the Appeals Procedure is to establish whether or not GQAL, in making awards, has used procedures that were fit for the purpose and whether it applied them properly and fairly, in arriving at judgements of candidate performance. The procedures open to investigation includes the full range of processes involved in and leading to the award of a final score and the result obtained in a GQAL examination, including marking, standardisation, moderation and any subsequent Enquiries on Results. An Appeal will not involve a review of the examination scores as that will have already been completed during the Enquiry on Results service. The Appeals Process can be in two stages.
This will involve a review of the case by a member of GQAL who has had no previous knowledge of the case. The outcome of the review will be reported in writing to the Responsible Officer who will communicate this to the Centre.
The review may
(i) confirm the award made by GQAL
(ii) require GQAL to take appropriate remedial action or
(iii) involve broader recommendations being made to GQAL.
If the Centre remains dissatisfied, they may, on written request to GQAL within 14 working days of the outcome of Stage One being notified, ask to progress to Stage Two.
If the Centre remains dissatisfied following the outcome of Stage One of the Appeal Procedure, a written request to proceed to Stage Two should be made within 14 working days to the Responsible Officer of GQAL. At this time the Centre should indicate the names of those who will represent the Centre and provide such information and evidence as the Appeals Panel may require. At the same time, relevant officers of GQAL will be asked to provide GQAL documents in support of their view. The completion of Stage Two of the Appeals Process represents the final point in the appeals against decisions of GQAL.
Stage Two involves the hearing of the case by a specially convened Appeals Panel of GQAL and one person independent of GQAL. The appeal will be considered at a formal hearing during which the issues will be fully reviewed and considered. The Appeals Panel will make a decision, on behalf of GQAL, at the end of the hearing and the outcome, together with reasons for its findings, will be sent to the Responsible Officer who will forward this to the Centre within five working days.
Normally the Centre will be asked to provide representatives whose role will be to set out the basis of the appeal and call on witnesses to give supporting statements or other evidence in relation to the case being made. GQAL will also be asked to nominate officers to present its views and may also nominate witnesses to call on. The Responsible Officer will collate all of this information and make it available to the Centre, to GQAL officers and to Panel Members in advance of the date of the hearing.
Centres should bear in mind that if the results are deemed to be correct as issued there is a charge made for this service. Details of current fees can be found in the fees section of the GQAL’s website.
The hearing will be normally chaired by the Chair of the Advisory Council. The Chair will rule on any matters of relevance or procedure during the hearing. The case on behalf of the appellant(s) will be presented by their nominee, and on behalf of GQAL by a nominated officer.
i. The order of business will normally proceed as follows:
ii. The Centre shall set out their case in the presence of GQAL representatives and witnesses, calling upon the notified witnesses as appropriate.
iii. All members of the Panel GQAL shall have the opportunity to ask questions of the nominees and witnesses.
iv. GQAL representatives shall set out their case in the presence of the appellant(s) and witnesses and may call upon notified witnesses on their behalf.
v. All members of the Panel GQAL shall have the opportunity to ask questions of the nominees and witnesses.
vi. GQAL representatives shall have the opportunity to sum up their case.
vii. The appellant shall have the opportunity to sum up her/his case.
viii. All representatives and witnesses shall withdraw, and the Appeals Panel will deliberate in private.
ix. In the event that the Appeals Panel members require clarification on any matter, all parties will return to allow relevant points to be addressed.
x. A record of the proceedings will be made.
The members of the Appeals Panel will come to a decision, taking a vote if necessary. The Chairperson will have the casting vote if necessary. The Panel and Chair will take advice from the Independent person who will not have a vote. The Responsible Officer shall note the decision and the reasons given. The Appeals Panel will either refuse the appeal (thus confirming the original award) or uphold it and require the officers to take appropriate action. When appropriate, the panel may make broader recommendations to GQAL as a whole.
The decision of the Appeals Committee and the underlying reasons will be conveyed to both parties by the Responsible Officer within five working days of the hearing and reported to GQAL’s Board of Directors at its next meeting.
We value feedback of how we can improve our service. All complaints will be handled sensitively and efficiently.
If you are not satisfied with our service, please follow the procedure below to enable us to respond to your complaint as quickly as possible.
The complaints procedures do not deal with examination results as these are dealt with by the Enquiries on Results and Appeals process.
GQAL does not normally investigate complaints received more than six months after occurrence.
To enable us to process your complaint effectively please provide us with as much of the following information as you can:
Timelines |
---|
Complaint Complaints must be submitted, in writing, within 14 working days of the date of the occurance/incident. All complaints will be acknowledged within 5 working days of receipt. |
The complainent will be informed of the result within a 5 working week period from the date on which the complaint was received. The Complainant should notify GQAL within 14 working days of the outcome if they want to appeal. |
Appeal The appellant will be advised of the date of the hearing within a 4 working week period from the date on which the appeal was received. |
The appellant will be informed of the result of the complaint appeal within 5 working days of the date of the hearing. |
Complainants should bear in mind that if the complaint or appeal is turned down there is a charge made for the service. Details of current fees can be found in the fees section of the GQAL’s website. Complaints must be submitted in writing to the Responsible Office of GQAL within 14 working days of the occurance/incident.
This will involve a review of the case by a member of GQAL who has had no previous knowledge of the case.
The outcome of the review will be reported in writing to the Responsible Officer who will communicate this to the Centre.
The review may
(i) turn down the complaint
(ii) require GQAL to take appropriate remedial action or
(iii) involve broader recommendations being made to GQAL.
If the Centre remains dissatisfied, they may, on written request to GQAL within 14 working days of the outcome of he Complaint Process being notified, ask to progress to Complaint Appeal.
At this time the Centre should indicate the names of those who will represent the Centre and provide such information and evidence as the Appeals Panel may require.
At the same time, relevant officers of GQAL will be asked to provide GQAL documents in support of their view. The completion of Complaint Appeal represents the final point in the appeals against decisions of GQAL. The Complaint Appeal procedure involves the hearing of the case by a specially convened Appeals Panel of GQAL and one person independent of GQAL. The appeal will be considered at a formal hearing during which the issues will be fully reviewed and considered.
The Appeals Panel will make a decision, on behalf of GQAL, at the end of the hearing and the outcome, together with reasons for its findings, will be sent to the Responsible Officer who will forward this to the Centre within five working days.
Normally the Centre will be asked to provide representatives whose role will be to set out the basis of the appeal and call on witnesses to give supporting statements or other evidence in relation to the case being made. GQAL will also be asked to nominate officers to present its views and may also nominate witnesses to call on. The Responsible Officer will collate all of this information and make it available to the Centre, to GQAL officers and to Panel Members in advance of the date of the hearing.
The hearing will be normally chaired by the Chair of the Advisory Council.
The Chair will rule on any matters of relevance or procedure during the hearing. The case on behalf of the appellant(s) will be presented by their nominee, and on behalf of GQAL by a nominated officer.
The order of business will normally proceed as follows:
(i) The Centre shall set out their case in the presence of GQAL representatives and witnesses, calling upon the notified witnesses as appropriate.
(ii) All members of the Panel GQAL shall have the opportunity to ask questions of the nominees and witnesses.
(iii) GQAL representatives shall set out their case in the presence of the appellant(s) and witnesses and may call upon notified witnesses on their behalf.
(iv) All members of the Panel GQAL shall have the opportunity to ask questions of the nominees and witnesses.
(v) GQAL representatives shall have the opportunity to sum up their case.
(vi) The appellant shall have the opportunity to sum up her/his case.
(vii) All representatives and witnesses shall withdraw and the Appeals Panel will deliberate in private.
(viii) In the event that the Appeals Panel members require clarification on any matter, all parties will return to allow relevant points to be addressed.
(ix) A record of the proceedings will be made.
The members of the Appeals Panel will come to a decision, taking a vote if necessary. The Chairperson will have the casting vote if necessary. The Panel and Chair will take advice from the Independent person who will not have a vote. The Responsible Officer shall note the decision and the reasons given. The Appeals Panel will either refuse the appeal (thus confirming the original award) or uphold it and require the officers to take appropriate action. When appropriate, the panel may make broader recommendations to GQAL as a whole.
The decision of the Appeals Panel and the underlying reasons will be conveyed to both parties by the RO within five working days of the hearing and reported to GQAL’s Board of Directors at its next meeting.
GQAL reserve the right to cease dealing with the complaint if the correspondence is considered frivolous, vexatious or offensive.
The decision of the Appeals Panel if final, though the complainant can refer the complaint to the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual).
Their address is: Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator, Spring Place, Coventry Business Park, Herald Avenue, Coventry. CV5 6UB
Under normal circumstances we are unable to receive complaints directly from Learners, Parents or Carers.
Please discuss your concerns with the Head of Centre or Examinations Officer in the first instance and they will be able to act on your behalf.
If you remain unhappy with your results or feel that they are incorrect, and the Enquiries on Results procedure has been invoked, your teacher is in the best position to help you further.
If your concerns relate to the teaching of one of our qualifications or a decision made by your Centre, each Centre is required to have their own internal complaints and appeals process which you should follow.
If you have been through this process and remain dissatisfied, you may bring your concern to our attention.
Complaints about the quality of teaching; Centre administration, management and organisation should not be made to GQAL. Any complaints about the quality of teaching; Centre administration, management and organisation should be made to either the Head of Centre (where the teacher is employed by, or attached to, an organisation) or to the association that the teacher is a member of (where the teacher is not employed by, or attached to, an organisation).
In the event of GQAL receiving an anonymous complaint we try to confirm the allegation by a separate investigation before taking it up with those responsible. The outcome of the investigation will remain confidential between GQAL and the Centre apart from where statutory requirements are involved e.g. safeguarding, fraud. It is always preferable to reveal your identity and contact details, though you may ask us not to divulge them. GQAL will investigate complaints from whistle-blowers in accordance with relevant whistle blowing legislation.
We encourage customers to put their concerns in writing.
Post to: Helen Mence, Responsible Officer, Graded Qualifications Alliance, Garden Street, Leicester. LE1 3UA
Email to: Helen@gqal.org
Phone to: 0116 2624122
Recommended | Advisory Council | 11/10/2017 & 01/03/2017 |
Approved | Board of Directors | 20/09/2017 & 08/03/2017 |
Next Review | September 2020 |