If you wish to complain to the OIA (the Office of the Independent Adjudicator), then the first thing you must do is to follow the official complaints or appeal procedure of the university or college against which you wish to complain. Once you have completed the internal procedures and received a Completion of Procedures Letter, you are ready to take your complaint to the OIA.
Accessing and submitting the Scheme Application Form
The next step of the procedure is to go to the OIA's website and download a copy of their Scheme Application Form. You have twelve months from the date on your Completion of Procedures Letter to complete and submit your Scheme Application Form.
When the OIA receive your completed Scheme Application Form, they will reply with a letter of confirmation, outlining the grounds of your complaint. A copy of this confirmation letter will also be sent to your university or college, who will then be given the opportunity to contribute any comments of their own that they would like to add to the case. After which, you will be allowed to respond to the university's remarks.
Once all this evidence and information has been submitted to the OIA, they will examine it and will in due course arrive at a decision regarding your complaint, at which point both parties will be informed of said decision.
What to do if you are not satisfied with the OIA's decision
If the OIA find in your favour, it will make one or more recommendations to your university or college.
If the OIA does not find in your favour and you are dissatisfied with their decision, you may wish to launch a challenge by applying to the High Court for a Judicial Review. Such claims need to be made promptly and in any event within 3 months, with an emphasis on the need to act ‘promptly’. You are also within your rights to consider a negligence claim, or a breach of contract claim (or both) against your university or college.
What can Match Solicitors do to help?
First and most importantly, our team of specialist education solicitors can advise you as to the merits of your case. Knowing if you have a chance of a successful complaint or not can save a lot of time and unnecessary stress. It can also give you the confidence you need to launch a successful case.
In addition, Match can help you prepare your case, from the gathering of relevant evidence to the actual drafting of your complaint on the form. We can then advise you as to the implications of the OIA's decision and whether or not you should take your case to the High Court.
We have helped a great many students gain positive outcomes from their dealings with the OIA, so if you would like to know if we can help you, give us a call today to discuss the merits of your case in the strictest of confidence.
