Source · SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman)

University of Edinburgh

SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman) Not Upheld Reference 201102836 Sector Education Category teaching and supervision Decided 01 December 2012

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Summary

Ms C, who is a solicitor, complained on behalf of her client (Mr A) who was working towards a degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology. This was a three year course, the third year of which was assessed by practical placements and academic work, including a thesis. Ms C said that over the course of Mr A's thesis the university had failed to provide him with an adequate level of supervision in terms of their own policies and procedures.

We found no evidence that explained the exact level of supervision a student should receive. This was because the level varies from project to project and trainee to trainee. There was also no evidence that Mr A had raised any concerns about the level of supervision while he was working on his thesis, and it was clear that Mr A and his supervisor disagreed about the level of supervision that was provided. There was insufficient evidence that the level of supervision was below an adequate level in terms of the university's policies and procedures, and we did not uphold the complaint.

Related reading

View Decision Report 201102836 as a PDF (11.13 KB) Updated: March 13, 2018

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