https://www.oiahe.org.uk/about-us/our-scheme/our-rules/https://www.oiahe.org.uk/about-us/our-scheme/our-rules/guidance-on-the-rules/I have written to say that :
Thank you for your email dated 7 February 2021. Eligibility appeals are usually considered by a manager, which is why your email has been passed to me.
We consider complaints under the Rules of our Scheme. You may find it helpful to read our Guidance on the Rules.
I have now looked again at whether your complaint is something that our Rules allow us to look at.
I am sorry to tell you that we cannot look at your complaint. This is because we have correctly decided that your complaint was received outside the 12-month timeframe for submission. The final date for submission (11 September 2019) was clearly stated in the College’s final letter and your complaint to us was received some time later in January 2021.
We consider 12 months to be sufficient time for a student to make a complaint to us. It is also important that we can conduct any review promptly while evidence is available, and we can provide suitable remedies. While I appreciate you may have been focussing on your own wellbeing during this time, we are not able to make exceptions to this Rule (8.1).
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I understand that in 2018 the College also considered your complaint to it as being received outside its normal time limit. I see that you felt unable to explain the delay for personal reasons.
I can confirm that we consider it reasonable for higher education providers to have time limits for students to submit complaints. We would expect providers to consider any reason for late submissions. But it is not unreasonable for them to decide whether to accept a complaint based on the available evidence.
It is my view that even if we had received your complaint in time that it is unlikely that we would not have upheld your complaint. ( i have changed this to bold as it is smirky and biased- i think he meant to write likely!)I hope these comments help you understand a little about how we consider complaints like your own.
The personal information you have sent us in support of your appeal will not be shared with the College. I have considered the contents but can confirm that it does not change my decision to reject your appeal.
This decision is final and there is no further right of appeal. We are therefore closing your complaint. I am sorry to disappoint you.
I am sending a copy of this letter to the xxxx. Yours sincerely
Casework Support Manager