Source · SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman)

University of Strathclyde

SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman) Not Upheld Reference 201607975 Sector Education Category teaching and supervision Decided 01 March 2018

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Full decision

Summary

Miss C was a student on a university course that involved professional placement. Miss C felt that she was not supported on the course, both generally and for her additional learning needs. She was unhappy as she felt that the university did not help her find placements, and that they would not count a placement she had already completed towards her course. Finally, Miss C was not happy with how the university handled her complaint.

We looked at all the evidence provided to us by both Miss C and the university. In relation to general support for Miss C, we found that certain processes could have been handled better, and we gave the university feedback on this. However, we noted that these issues were remedied either at the time or as a result of Miss C's complaint to the university. Therefore, we did not uphold this complaint.

We had some concerns about how the university dealt with specific aspects of Miss C's support for additional learning needs, and we made the university aware of our concerns. However, we did not find evidence that the university failed to provide the support that was agreed. We did not uphold this complaint.

In relation to course placements, we found that the university acted reasonably. The course handbook was clear that students were responsible for finding their own placements and the placement that Miss C had already completed did not meet the requirements to be counted. Therefore, we did not uphold either aspect of this complaint.

Finally, we found that the university's handling of Miss C's complaint was reasonable and we did not uphold this complaint.

Related reading

View Decision Report 201607975 as a PDF (11.26 KB) Updated: December 2, 2018

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