Disciplinary Policy & Appeals

It is important that any alleged instances of inappropriate behaviour are dealt with consistently across the College, and that all members of staff feel suitably empowered and supported when such situations arise.

Any student whose behaviour is not acceptable to staff and students may be subject to disciplinary action as below.



Misconduct


Misconduct is divided into 3 levels to reflect the different levels of student misbehaviour follows: -Minor misconduct
-Major misconduct
-Gross misconduct


Minor Misconduct:
If a student persistently disrupts others and their behaviour is causing concern, their misconduct may escalate and deteriorate in nature, if no addressed
The College will tolerate students engaging in any of the activities below on a few occasions only. Students will be verbally reminded to correct their behaviour by staff. If, however, the behaviour does not improve further action will be taken.

Examples of minor misconduct:

-Not complying with College rules, e.g eating and drinking in unauthorised areas.
-Using mobile phones in the classroom during lessons and in designated “quiet” areas.
-Arriving late for classes on a continual basis.
-Speaking to staff in an impolite manner.
-Leaving litter in classrooms.
-Misusing College property.

In cases of disruptive behaviour, a student may be asked to leave a class or study area. If the student continues to behave in a disruptive manner they may be asked to stop attending a particular class or using the study area until an investigation into the incident has taken place. This ban usually lasts up to a maximum of 5 working days, so not to affect the student’s education.

If more time is required for the investigation the student will be advised accordingly. The Department of Head will conduct an investigation into the student’s conduct by collecting evidence from witnesses and compiling incident reports.

The student will be asked in writing to attend a meeting with the Head of the Department within 7 working days of the incident.

The written correspondence to the student will include details of the allegations regarding their misconduct. During the meeting the student will have the chance to give their account of events in response to the allegations. The student may bring a representative to the meeting; this may be a friend, colleague or family member.

The Departmental Head will make a decision as to whether minor misconduct has occurred, based on the evidence provided. Previous cases of minor misconduct may also be taken into account in determining any penalty for the student. The penalties imposed may be one or more of the following:
  • Formal written warning
  • Suspension from classes and/or use of facilities for up to a maximum of 7 days.
  • Payment of replacement costs for loss or damage to College or student property

Major Misconduct
Major misconduct is behaviour classed as abusive or threatening in nature, a failure to comply with penalties issued for minor misconduct, or where a student’s actions affect the health and safety of other students and staff.

Examples of major misconduct:

-Not observing penalties imposed for minor misconduct
-Bullying or harassing any student or member of staff in any manner
-Abusive or threatening language towards staff and students
-Providing false information to the College. Committing fraud or deceit or being dishonest to the College
-Making false allegations against staff
-Intentionally damaging College property
-Behaving in an anti-social manner.
-Theft of College property.
-Tampering with fire equipment.
-Obstruction or disruption of College processes and procedures (e.g. non-co-operation with disciplinary investigations for minor misconduct, improper completion of enrolment)
-Any behaviour that is classed as criminal

Any allegations of major misconduct are referred to the Student Advice Office for investigation, along with supporting evidence. The Departmental Head is responsible for referring major misconduct cases together with documentary evidence (e.g. witness statements and incident reports) to the Student Advice Office, who in turn are responsible for conducting an investigation into the alleged misconduct. If the Departmental Head decides there is evidence to indicate major misconduct the procedure set out below will be followed.

Disciplinary Interview
The student will be asked in writing to attend a disciplinary interview within 10 days of the incident. The written correspondence requesting the student’s attendance at the interview will include details of the allegations together with any documentary evidence that is available.

If the student does not attend the disciplinary interview, they may be suspended from the College pending their attendance at a rescheduled interview. (A disciplinary interview may also follow in the absence of a student should the student fail to have attended a previously scheduled appointment without valid reason.) If a student is not be able to attend a disciplinary interview, they are required to contact the Student Advice Office as soon as possible and to provide a valid reason for his/her inability to attend. A valid reason would be attendance at a class or non-attendance due to illness, with the student required to provide supporting evidence (e.g. timetable, medical certificate) for all such cases. Where a valid reason is not provided the student will be expected to attend at a specific date and time. Only when a valid reason is provided will a disciplinary interview be rescheduled. The student may bring a representative (A friend, relative or family member) to the disciplinary interview, as well as call witnesses and provide relevant evidence in support of their case.

The disciplinary interview shall be chaired by the Head of the Student Advice Office or their nominee, with the Departmental Head also present.

At the beginning of the interview the Chair will outline the allegations made against the student and will refer to any relevant evidence, which may include the calling of witnesses. A representative (a friend, relative or family member) from the affected party may also be present in the interview.

The student will then be asked to respond to the allegations and will have the opportunity to call any witnesses as part of this process as well as submit any evidence. Throughout this process, the Chair will question the respective parties in attendance. Any questions from either party are to be directed through the Chair.

At the end of the disciplinary interview the members of the panel will conclude whether major misconduct has taken place. Following a Disciplinary Interview, additional information may be requested from the student and/or other parties involved before a decision is made

In the event that major misconduct has taken place, the student will be issued with a final written warning. This will advise the student that any future related misconduct will be referred to a Student disciplinary committee (see Gross Misconduct section below) and a penalty will be imposed. Examples of penalties include:
  • Suspension from the College and/or use of facilities for up to 15 days
  • Payment of replacement or compensation costs for loss or damage to College /or student property

The student will normally be notified of the decision in writing within 5 working days of the disciplinary interview.

A student has the right to appeal on specific grounds (see Appeals section below) against the Student Advice Office’s decision. However, if an appeal is not received, within 10 working days of the date of the letter informing the student of the disciplinary decision, then the student will be deemed to have accepted the disciplinary penalty and will be expected to adhere to any penalties incurred.

Appeals
The student may appeal on any of the following grounds. Their appeal must be supported by appropriate evidence.
-The penalty issued was not proportionate to the offence.
-There was a procedural irregularity.
-The conclusion was unjustifiable, as it was one that no reasonable person could have reached on the available evidence.
-The student has new evidence that could affect the overall outcome reached. The student will need to demonstrate why such evidence was not presented at the initial stages of the procedure.

The student may appeal to the College Secretary in writing within a period of 10 working days. Any appeals submitted outside of this time period will not be considered unless the student can demonstrate a valid reason (e.g. medical grounds) supported by evidence why they have been unable to meet the deadline. On receipt of an appeal, the College Secretary will determine whether the appeal falls within one or more of the recognised grounds. Should an appeal not fall within one or more of these grounds for appeal, it will be rejected by the College Secretary, and the student will be informed that they have no grounds for an appeal and that the penalty determined by the Student Advice Office is valid.

If an appeal falls within one or more of the grounds for appeal (as above), the College Secretary will summon an Appeal Panel. Any disciplinary penalty issued against the student will be suspended pending the outcome of the Appeal Panel. The Appeal Panel shall comprise the following members who will not have had any prior involvement or knowledge of the case:
  • CEO
  • Member of academic staff of senior grade or a manager of professional grade
  • A nominee of UKCOE

The College Secretary is responsible for making the following arrangements for the Appeal Hearing:
  • The student shall be given 5 days’ notice of the date of the appeal learning by the College Secretary.
  • The student may be accompanied by a representative (be a friend, relative or family member.) when attending the appeal hearing.
  • The student and the Student Advice Office are both entitled to call witnesses to the appeal hearing. They must provide the names of any witnesses that they wish to call to the College Secretary at least 3 days before the date of the appeal hearing. The student and the Student Advice office have the responsibility for calling their witnesses to attend the Appeal Hearing.
  • The student’s submission to the Appeal Panel will consist of their grounds for appeal and supporting evidence to substantiate those grounds.
  • The Student Advice Office’s written response together with the student’s submission will comprise the documentation for consideration by the Appeals Panel.
  • Copies of the documentation will be circulated to the members of the Panel, the student and the Student Advice Office no less than 5 days before the date of the appeal hearing.

Conduct of the Appeal Hearing
The appeal hearing will focus solely on the student’s grounds for appeal and will not constitute a rehearing of the previous disciplinary procedure. The College Secretary shall be in attendance throughout the proceedings to provide advice to the Panel on matters of procedure and to act as Clerk to the Panel. Should the student fail to attend without a valid reason (e.g. medical grounds), the appeal hearing may still proceed in their absence. The minimum number of members required for the Appeal Panel is two, including the Chair. The proceedings of the appeal hearing will be as follows:
  • The Chair will invite the student to present their appeal, which can be made by either oral or written submission.
  • The student will also be able to call witnesses as part of their presentation to the Appeal Panel.
  • Members of the Appeal Panel and the Student Advice Office will be able to ask questions of the student and their witnesses.
  • When the student’s presentation of their appeal has concluded, the Chair will then invite the Student Advice Office to provide their response and to call any witnesses, as appropriate.
  • Members of the Appeal Panel and the student will have the opportunity to address questions to the Student Advice Office and to any witnesses that they call.
  • At the conclusion of the Student Advice Office’s presentation, the Chair will ask whether the student and the Student Advice Office wish to make a final statement to the Appeal Panel in support of their respective cases.
  • The Appeal Panel will then withdraw to consider in private whether the grounds for appeal should be upheld or not.

Should the Appeal Panel uphold the appeal, it may (a) dismiss the disciplinary case against the student, (b) impose a lesser penalty or (c) refer the matter back to the Student Advice Office for further investigation. If the Appeal Panel rejects the appeal, it may (a) confirm the decision of the Student Advice Office or b) impose a lesser penalty. In certain circumstances where an Appeal Panel considers that more serious misconduct has taken place, it may recommend to the College Secretary that a Student Disciplinary committee be summoned to hear the case. The student will be notified of the decision of the Appeal Panel in writing by the College Secretary within 5 days of the appeal hearing.

The decision of the Appeal Panel is deemed to be final.

Gross Misconduct
Gross misconduct includes behaviour that may be physically threatening, or a persistent refusal to comply with College regulations or with previous penalties applied under the Student Disciplinary Procedure.

Examples of the type of behaviour classed as gross:
-Dealing in illegal substances *
-Physical assault on a member of staff or student *
-Use of or threat to use a weapon *
-Criminal conviction for any of the above or for offences against the person of a violent or sexual nature*


These examples of gross misconduct will normally result in a student’s expulsion from the College.


-Theft of College property
-Non-compliance with a Disciplinary penalty issued by the Centre Manager
-Non-co-operation with a disciplinary investigation conducted by the Centre Manager (e.g. non-attendance without valid reason at a Disciplinary interview)
-Fraud, deceit or dishonesty in relation to the College or its staff or in relation to being a student at the College (e.g. claiming home fees status as an overseas student, identity fraud etc)
-Malicious activation of fire alarms (e.g. activation of a fire alarm during examinations)

Any allegations categorised as gross misconduct will be immediately forwarded to the Student advice Office, including any evidence and witness statements.

If the Student Advice Office decides that the allegations constitute gross misconduct they will collate the relevant documentation together with supporting evidence, which the student and /or department will be asked to provide. If the Student Advice Office considers the student to pose a health and safety risk to other members of the College given the nature of the allegations, they may recommend to the CEO that the student is suspended from the College or excluded from specified areas of the College, pending the completion of disciplinary procedures.

Arrangements for the Student Disciplinary Committee
The Student Advice Office will forward the documentation, together with an overview of the case, to the College Secretary and request that a Student Disciplinary Committee be summoned to hear the allegations. The documentation and overview of the case provided by the Student Advice Office will form the basis of the paperwork to be considered by the Student Disciplinary Committee. The Student Disciplinary Committee shall normally meet as soon as practicably possible and within 25 days of receipt of the allegation of serious misconduct sent by the Centre Manager. The College Secretary will be responsible for the administrative arrangements for the Student Disciplinary Committee.

The student will be invited by the College Secretary to provide a written response to the allegations. Any statement from the student should be submitted to the College Secretary no later than n days before the date of the Student Disciplinary Committee hearing so that it can be included in the papers circulated to members of the Committee, the Student Advice Office and the student. The statement should include any relevant witness statements.

The composition of the Student Disciplinary Committee is as below. No member of the Committee shall have had prior involvement or knowledge of the case.

-Head of Department / Centre Manager / CEO
-Member of academic staff of senior grade or a manager of professional grade
-A nominee of UKCOE

The student, members of the Student Disciplinary Committee and the Student Advice Office shall be sent the relevant paperwork no later than 5 days before the date of the hearing together with a copy of this procedure. The student is entitled to bring representative (a friend, relative or family member) to the Committee.

The student and the Student Advice Office have the right to call witnesses to support their respective cases. The names of any witnesses are to be provided to the College Secretary no later than 7 days before the date of the Committee hearing in order that this information can be provided in the paperwork for consideration at the Committee. Should a student or the Student Advice Office wish for any witness details to be withheld (e.g. cases of harassment), any such requests should be made to the College Secretary in advance of the Student Disciplinary Committee hearing.

If the student fails to attend a Student Disciplinary Committee hearing without valid reason and if the Committee is satisfied that the relevant paperwork was duly sent to the student, the Committee may decide to proceed in the student’s absence. Alternatively, the Committee may decide to adjourn the hearing but to recommend the student’s suspension to the CEO pending the rescheduling of the hearing. One valid reason for a student’s non-attendance would be on medical grounds, which would need to be supported by appropriate evidence (i.e. a medical certificate). However, in such circumstances the student would be expected to notify the College Secretary as soon as practically possible of their non-attendance. Provided a valid reason has been given, the Committee hearing would normally be rescheduled. The decision of the Committee on whether to adjourn or proceed in the student’s absence is final.

The Committee shall be advised on the procedure by the College Secretary who shall act as the Clerk during the hearing. The minimum number amount of members for the Committee is two. The proceedings of the Student Disciplinary Committee shall be as follows:

  • The Chair shall open proceedings by outlining the process and will summarise the allegations made against the student.
  • The Chair will then invite the Student Advice Office to present their case and to call on any witnesses in support of that case.
  • The members of the Committee and the student will have the opportunity to put questions to the Student Advice Office and its witnesses. All questions will need to be directed through the Chair.
  • The student will then be asked to respond to the allegations and to call any witnesses in support of their case.

The members of the Committee and the Student Advice Office will be able to ask questions of the student and their witnesses, which shall be directed through the Chair.
At the end of the respective submissions, the Chair will invite the student and Student Advice Office to make any concluding statements, prior to the Committee withdrawing to consider its decision in private. Based on the evidence submitted, the Committee will determine whether serious misconduct has taken place. Should the Committee determine that serious misconduct has taken place, it can recommend penalties to the CEO as follows:
  • The expulsion of the student from the College with immediate effect.
  • A suspended expulsion for the remainder of the current academic year or duration of a student’s studies. Any further evidence of misconduct or failure to comply with penalties agreed by the CEO will normally result in the student being expelled with immediate effect from the College without referral to a Student Disciplinary Committee.
  • A fine or financial penalty and suspension from the College for a period of up to a year.

On behalf of the student Disciplinary Committee, the College Secretary, will inform the CEO of the Committee’s recommendations and will provide a report summarising the case and the reasons for the Committee’s conclusions. The CEO may either approve the Committee’s recommendations or decide to impose a lesser penalty. Within 5 working days of receipt of the Committee’s recommendations the CEO shall give written notice to the student, the College Secretary, the Chair of the Committee and the Student Advice Office of his decision and of the penalty or penalties that he has decided to impose.

The student has the right to appeal against the decision of the CEO within 10 working days of the date of the letter from the CEO notifying the student of the decision. The appeals process and the grounds under which a student may appeal are outlined in the section below. Should the student not submit an appeal within the 10 working days, then they shall be deemed to have accepted the decision of the CEO and will be required to comply with any disciplinary penalties. Should a student not comply with any disciplinary penalties, the College Secretary shall refer the matter back to the Student Disciplinary Committee. If the allegation of non-compliance is proven the student shall be expelled from the College with immediate effect.

Appeals
A student has the right to appeal against the decision of the CEO within 10 working days of the date of the CEO’s letter informing the student of their decision. The appeal must be based on one or more of the following grounds and must be supported by appropriate evidence:

-The penalty issued was not proportionate to the offence.
-There was a procedural irregularity.
-The conclusion was unjustifiable, as it was one that no reasonable person could have reached on the available evidence.
-The student has of new evidence that could affect the outcome reached. The student will need to demonstrate why such evidence was not presented at the relevant stage of this procedure.

The student should appeal to the College Secretary in writing within a period of 10 working days. Any appeals submitted outside of this time period will not be considered unless the student can demonstrate a valid reason (e.g. medical grounds) supported by evidence why they have been unable to meet the deadline.

On receipt of an appeal, the College Secretary will determine whether the appeal falls within one or more of the recognised grounds. Should an appeal not fall within one or more of these grounds for appeal, it will be rejected by the College Secretary, and the student will be informed that they have no grounds for an appeal and that the penalty determined by the CEO shall stand.

Should an appeal fall within one or more of the grounds for appeal, the College Secretary will summon a Directors’ Appeal Committee. Any disciplinary penalty issued against the student will be suspended pending the outcome of the Directors’ Appeal Committee. The Appeal Committee shall comprise the following, who will not have had any prior involvement or knowledge of the case:

-One member of the Board of Directors (other than the CEO or staff), who shall act as Chair
-One staff member of the Board of Directors
-The student’s representative (a friend, relative or family member)

The College Secretary shall be responsible for the administrative arrangements for the Directors’ Appeal Committee. The Committee shall meet as soon as practicably possible and normally within 25 days of receipt of the appeal.

The following arrangements shall apply in respect of the Directors’ Appeal Committee:

The student and the College representative, nominated by the CEO, shall be given no less than 5 days’ notice of the date of the Appeal Committee hearing by the College Secretary.

The student may be accompanied to the Appeal Committee by a representative (a friend, relative or family member). The student and the College representative are both entitled to call witnesses to the appeal hearing and must provide names of any witnesses that they wish to call to the College Secretary no later than 7 days before the date of the hearing. The student and the College representative have the responsibility for calling their witnesses to attend the appeal hearing.

The student’s submission to the Appeal Committee will normally comprise their grounds for appeal and supporting evidence to substantiate those grounds.

The College representative will also be asked to provide a response to the student’s grounds for appeal no later than 7 days before the date of the appeal hearing.

The College representative’s written response, the student’s submission and the CEO’s letter advising the student of the disciplinary outcome will comprise the documentation for consideration by the Director’s Appeal Committee.

Copies of the documentation will be circulated to the members of the Committee, the student and the College representative no less than 5 days before the date of the appeal hearing.

The Directors’ Appeal Committee will focus solely on the student’s grounds for appeal and will not carry out a rehearing of the previous disciplinary procedure. At the appeal, the College Secretary shall be in attendance throughout the proceedings to provide advice to the Committee on matters of procedure and to act as Clerk to the Committee. The minimum number of members required for the Committee is two, including the Chair. Should the student fail to attend without valid reason (e.g. medical grounds), the appeal hearing may still proceed in their absence. The Directors’ Appeal Committee shall be conducted as follows:

  • At the beginning of the appeal hearing, the Chair shall invite the student to present their appeal, which can be made by either oral or written submission.
  • The student will also be able to call witnesses as part of their presentation to the Appeal Committee.
  • Members of the Appeal Committee and the College representative will be able to ask questions of the student and their witnesses.
  • When the student’s presentation of their appeal has concluded, the Chair will then invite the College representative to provide their response and to call any witnesses, as appropriate.
  • Members of the Appeal Committee and the student will have the opportunity to address questions to the College representative and to any witnesses that they call.
  • At the conclusion of the College representative’s presentation, the Chair will ask whether the student and the College representative wish to make a final statement to the Appeal Committee in support of their respective cases.
  • The Appeal Committee will then withdraw to consider in private whether the grounds for appeal should be upheld or not.

Should the Appeal Committee uphold the appeal, it may (a) dismiss the disciplinary case against the student (b) impose a lesser penalty or (c) refer the matter back to a Student Disciplinary Committee.

If the Appeal Committee rejects the appeal, it may a) confirm the decision of the CEO or b) impose a lesser penalty than that determined by the CEO.

The decision of the Appeal Committee will be confirmed in writing to the student by the College Secretary within 5 days of the Appeal hearing.

The decision made by the Appeals Committee is deemed to be final.

The student will normally be notified of the outcome of the disciplinary process in writing within 5 days of the appeal hearing. Penalties involving suspension from use of College facilities will normally be applied within 3 days of the student being advised of the outcome.

The departmental representative will retain a copy of the letter for the student’s file.

Suspension
A student who is the subject of a complaint of misconduct under this procedure, or against whom a criminal charge is pending or who is the subject of a police investigation may be suspended from the College by the CEO, pending the completion of these respective processes.

Suspension involves a total or partial prohibition on of attendance at or access to College premises and on any participation in College activities. It may be subject to qualification, such as permission to attend for the purpose of an examination or a requirement that the student should have no contact of any kind with a named person or persons.

The suspension is not a penalty but a measure taken on health and safety grounds, where there is a potential risk to members of the College community or its premises.

The Student Advice Office will recommend the suspension of a student from the College to the CEO where the student’s presence poses a health and safety risk to other staff and students. If the CEO approves the recommendation to suspend, the student will be notified of the decision in writing by the CEO with the suspension becoming applicable immediately. The letter shall advise the student that they have the right to make representations to the CEO within 7 days of notification of the suspension.

Should a student wish to make representations, they should contact the CEO to make an appointment for a meeting. The student will normally have the opportunity to make a representation in person, unless health and safety considerations make a written representation more appropriate. Following a students’ representation and any advice received from the Student Advice Office, the CEO may decide that the suspension is continued or that the suspension be commuted to an exclusion from specified areas of the College campus and/or from having contact with named individuals. Alternatively, the CEO may determine that, in light of developments (e.g. police investigations), the suspension is no longer required. The student shall be informed in writing of the CEO’s decision within 5 days of the meeting.

A suspension will be reviewed thereafter every 4 weeks by the CEO with the help on the advice of the Student Advice Office. The student or their representative (a friend, relative or family member) will be responsible for informing the CEO of any developments that may have implications for the terms of the suspension.

A suspension may remain in force pending the outcome of a police investigation or court case or the completion of disciplinary measures outlined in this procedure.

Misconduct and Criminal Offences
A student is obliged to inform the Student Advice Office if they are is subject to a police investigation relating to offences against the person, whether of a violent or sexual nature, or relating to the unlawful supply of illegal substances. If the nature of the allegations poses a potential health and safety risk for staff and students, the College may consider the suspension of the student pending the completion of the police investigation and/or court case.
For serious allegations of misconduct where the Police are involved, any disciplinary action on the part of the College will normally be deferred pending the outcome of any police investigations or court case. . However, the College reserves the right to continue disciplinary action for those cases where it is considered appropriate to do so, in view of the length of time it can take for police investigations/court action to be concluded. Where disciplinary action is deferred, the College may consider the suspension of the student or their exclusion from specified College sites and/or contact with named individuals pending the outcome of police investigations or any court case, if there are health and safety implications relating to the allegations.

The Student Advice Office will advise the student of the deferral of any disciplinary action by the College. The student will be responsible for informing the Student Advice Office of any developments concerning police investigations or court action. The Police may also be asked to share relevant information with the Student Advice and Office to inform them of any disciplinary action.

Where a student has been sentenced by a court, the Court’s penalty shall be taken into account by the College in determining any penalty issued under this procedure.

However, any student who has been convicted of assaulting a member of staff or student, dealing in illegal substances, or using or threatening to use a weapon will normally face expulsion from the College.

Students imprisoned for a period of 25 days or longer will be deemed to have withdrawn from the College.

The CEO shall decide whether a student is to be re-admitted to the College on the basis of advice and evidence provided by the Student Advice Office.

Academic Misconduct
The College does not accept or tolerate plagiarism, cheating or collusion in any form.
  • Plagiarism is the act of copying or including in one’s own work, without adequate acknowledgment, either intentionally or unintentionally, the work of another, for one's own benefit.
  • Cheating consist of acting unfairly or dishonestly in order to gain an advantage.
  • Collusion is the act of agreeing to cheat or deceive one another.

If any student is suspected of any of the above forms of misconduct, the College will investigate and further disciplinary action may be taken.

We expect the following from our students:
  • Students must ensure that all completed work including assessments, is original and not copied from anyone else. All work submitted to the College will be accepted on the grounds that it is the student’s own work without any forgery of any kind.
  • They should use quotation marks (inverted commas) where they have quoted someone else’s words.
  • They must show clearly wherever any information has been downloaded from the Internet.

All cases of suspected academic misconduct will be classed as major misconduct and will be fully investigated by the College. If misconduct is proved, disciplinary action will be taken. The outcome will depend on the severity of the offence.

The following activities are classed as major misconduct:
  • Copying from books without acknowledgement, where this makes has a significant contribution to the overall work
  • Copying of other candidates, work or excessive help from others within one piece of work
  • Downloading of information from the Internet without acknowledgement or the use of model answers downloaded from the Internet
  • Buying, selling or stealing of work

If a student is suspected of any of the above, they will be asked to discuss the matter with their tutor or lecturer. This may result in any of the following:
  • The mark or assessment grade may be reduced, or the student may need to redo the work and re-submit for marking, or the student may be awarded zero for their assessment. This will depend on the severity of the misconduct.
  • The student may not be allowed to take the unit or examination test again.
  • The student may be given a warning about how to act in the future.
  • The student may be disqualified from the course or expelled from the College.

The College will inform the awarding body in all cases of academic misconduct. The awarding body may make any final decisions regarding any penalties given to the student in line with their internal academic misconduct policy.

In all cases, a note will be made on the students record of the allegation, the result of the allegation and any penalty given. This information may be used by the College if it is asked to provide a reference for the student.

Should the student feel the need to appeal, they must go through the procedures set out in the College’s major Misconduct Policy (please see above).

Smoking, Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Smoking
We maintain a SMOKE FREE WORK PLACE policy.
General Principal and Scope:

The aim of this policy is to:
  • Protect the health of our students
  • Protect the health of visitors
  • Promote the benefit of a smoke free environment
  • This policy applies to all students and visitors who enter College premises, as this is both a workplace and a public place.

Smoking is not permitted in any part of College premises or at entrances managed, leased or owned by the college at any time or by any person, regardless of their status or business with the College. The premises include any building or substantially enclosed public or private area occupied by one or more members of the general public or any workspace used by one or more students. Such spaces include lifts, corridors, stairways, lavatories, rest rooms, reception areas and entrances.

All visitors are required to abide by the smoke free policy. College staff will inform visitors of the policy. However, they will not enter into any confrontation that may put their personal safety at risk.

Information on how to stop smoking with support from local cessation services will be provided for smokers. The NHS smoking helpline number is 0800 022 4332. This free helpline offers advice and support on stopping smoking, and smokers can visit the NHS website at www.smokefree.nhs.uk

It is a criminal offence for anyone to sell, transport or possess illegal tobacco products. Penalties for such offences may include imprisonment and/or fines of up to £5000.

The selling/storing and dealing in illegal cigarettes and tobacco on College premises will not be tolerated. We will co-operate with law enforcement agencies, such as HM Revenue and Customs, in their investigations. Any illegal activity will be considered as gross misconduct and will result in appropriate disciplinary action.

Any student refusing to observe the College’s policy by smoking in unauthorised areas will be liable to disciplinary action in accordance with the College’s disciplinary procedures.

All students have a role to play in enforcing the policy and are required to deal with any observed or reported breaches. If students feel apprehensive about their own safety in regard to addressing any breach, they should seek support from College staff. However, primary emphasis should be placed on the prevention of such situations.

In the event of a breach of the non-smoking policy by a visitor or by those attending other organisation in the building they will be asked to extinguish all smoking material and will be informed of the availability of external smoking areas. If they continue to smoke, the matter will be referred to the Centre Manager or to the CEO, as appropriate. In the event that someone attending another organisation continues to breach the policy, the relevant organisation will be advised in writing and warned of the consequences of breaching these requirements.

The following will be monitored:
  • That prospective students are advised of the policy
  • That the policy forms part of the College induction programme
  • That discarded smoking material is disposed of safely
  • This policy will be reviewed (monthly/on the last day of each month) to ensure that it continues to meet the aims of the College in maintaining a smoke – free environment.

Alcohol
As an educational institution we maintain a strict no – alcohol rule. We will not admit students who have drunk alcohol before coming to class or consume alcohol during break either within or outside College premises if they have to return to class. We will strictly monitor students with hangovers, above average time off sick, and reduced productivity as well as, workplace accidents, disciplinary problems, student and staff complaints.
Where a student is found to be in violation of this policy, this will be deemed as gross misconduct and will result in disciplinary action and possibly instant dismissal. Drugs
We have a clear duty to protect our students’ health, safety and welfare. Therefore we maintain a zero tolerance policy on the use and abuse of drugs while you are studying with us.

Where student is found to be in violation of this policy, this will be deemed as gross misconduct and will result in disciplinary action and possibly in instant dismissal.

We will strictly monitor the behaviour and conduct of all students for suspected drug abuse, which will include monitoring:
  • Erratic behaviour
  • Mood swings
  • Poor time keeping
  • Reduced productivity
  • Increased absence for sickness
  • Change in attitude to work, colleagues or students
  • Any physical signs