Appeals
COURTS OF FIRST APPEAL
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ROLE OF COURTS OF FIRST APPEAL
- The Court of First Appeal shall convene to consider appeals on matters of academic progress arising out of examinations or other academic circumstances where a student case
- is not adequately covered by the ordinary regulations of the College; or
- is based on a claim that the regulations of the College were not properly applied in the applicant's case; or
- represents an ad misericordiam appeal
- An appeal other than an ad misericordiam appeal cannot be heard against the normal application of College academic regulations approved by the University Council.
- The type of appeals considered by the Faculty Courts of Appeal can be further described as follows:
- Appeals that the normal Faculty regulations applying to a student's progress be waived on ad misericordiam grounds.
This could result in a number of courses of action being recommended, such as:
- that a student be permitted to proceed to the next year (e.g. by being allowed to carry, or compensate for, a failed subject);
- that a student be allowed to repeat a year, in full or 'off-books', where not otherwise entitled to do so;
- that an exclusion on a student be lifted
- Appeals for permission to sit a special examination in accordance with Calendar regulations. Such appeals are considered following the supplemental examination session and may be considered only in respect of non-final, non-degree examinations. Special examinations may be recommended in exceptional circumstances only, where a student has been unable to complete his/her examinations at the supplemental session due to illness or other grave cause.
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MEMBERSHIP OF A COURT OF FIRST APPEAL
- The membership of a Court of First Appeal will vary according to whether the Court of First Appeal is Course-based, School-based or Faculty-based. The composition of the Courts of First Appeal is outlined below
- Composition of a Course-based Court of First Appeal.
- Pro-Dean (Chair)
- Course Office Administrative Officer (Secretary)
- Director of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning for Schools making contributions to the course (in the case of TSM Head of Discipline or nominee)
- Postgraduate Student representative
- Discipline specific representation, as deemed necessary by the Course Management Committee
- Appellants (students) and their tutors are entitled to attend to present their case.
- Composition of a School-based Court of First Appeal.
- Pro-Dean (Chair)
- School Administrative Officer (Secretary)
- Director of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning
- Postgraduate Student representative
- Discipline specific representation, including representation from at least two other schools within the faculty
- Appellants (students) and their tutors are entitled to attend to present their case.
- Composition of a Faculty-based Court of First Appeal.
- Pro-Dean (Chair)
- Faculty Administrative Officer (Secretary)
- School Administrative Officers, where relevant.
- Directors of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning from Schools
- Postgraduate Student representative
- Representation from each School
- Appellants (students) and their tutors are entitled to attend to present their case
- *Representation from Associated Colleges. For B.Mus.Ed only (separate session to be held).
- Where an appellant is a relative of a member of a Court of First Appeal, that member should not be involved in hearing that student's appeal. The definition of a relative is the definition previously agreed by Council (click here).
- A member of a Court of First Appeal should not also represent a student in appeal to that Court of First Appeal.
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SCHEDULING OF COURTS OF FIRST APPEAL
- Courts of Appeal are normally convened to hear appeals following annual and supplemental examinations.
- Courts of Appeal shall be scheduled to take place before the relevant meetings of the Academic Appeals Committee.
- The dates of the Courts of First Appeal should be set well in advance and notified to all relevant Directors of Teaching and Learning/Course Co-Ordinators, all College Tutors, the Senior Tutor and the Senior Lecturer and posted on School/Department/Course noticeboards.
- Deadlines should be set for the submission of appeals for consideration at the Court of First Appeal and notified to the above parties.
- Courts of First Appeal will consider appeals concerning events occurring more than eighteen months previously only in the most exceptional circumstances.
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PROCEDURES FOR BRINGING AN APPEAL TO A COURT OF FIRST APPEAL
- All appeals arising from the decisions of Courts of Examiners should be made directly to the Court of First Appeal.
- The student has responsibility for advising his/her tutor in good time of his/her intention to make an appeal.
- A student may make an appeal through his/her tutor, or if the tutor is unable or unwilling to act, through the Senior Tutor, to the Court of First Appeal.
- An appeal should be made using the College Academic Appeal Form/Court of First Appeal Form (MS Word, 59 KB), also available through the Senior Tutor's Office. Appropriate background documentation should be included.
- The student's tutor, or the Senior Tutor, will attend the Court of First Appeal to represent the student, and the student may also attend if he/she so wishes.
- Students may request a representative of the Students' Union to represent them as an alternative to their tutor or the Senior Tutor.
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RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COURT OF FIRST APPEAL
- A record should be made of the deliberations of Courts of First Appeal, giving grounds for each decision.
- The recommendations of the Court of First Appeal should be forwarded to the Senior Lecturer for approval. All recommendations should be returned on the prescribed form - c.f. Sections 3 and 4 of the Court of First Appeal / Academic Appeal Form
- Recommendations of a Court of First Appeal shall not be seen as binding until they have been approved by the Senior Lecturer.
- Once the Senior Lecturer's approval is obtained, the relevant Course / School Office should instruct the student's tutor or representative to inform the student of the outcome of the appeal.
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APPEALING A DECISION OF A COURT OF FIRST APPEAL
- Decisions of a Court of First Appeal may be appealed to the Academic Appeals Committee.
- The regulations regarding the Academic Appeals Committee are set out in the General Regulations and Information section of the Calendar (PDF, 130 KB),H11 §49.
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FURTHER PROCEDURES
- Further information relating to individual Courts of First Appeal is available from School and Course Offices.
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