LUSU Responds to the OIA Scheme Consultation

The OIA are the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education. They are an independent body who exist to help students resolve complaints fairly and independently when things have gone wrong. 

The OIA have opened up a consultation as they are proposing to move towards a shorter, more principles-led Scheme. Our Advice Service Manager, Vicki Greenwood has responded to the call for consultation and has attended a discussion group with the OIA to provide further thoughts on the changes: 

“We have provided feedback to the OIA during this important consultation, and welcome the opportunity to do so on behalf of students as a Student Representative Body.  

The Scheme is considering a number of changes, not just to move to a more principles-led Scheme, but also to change their name to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Student Complaints.  

Other changes include changing the point at which someone may be considered a student for the purposes of the Scheme along with reducing the time limit for when a student may take a case to them.  

Overall, we welcome the broadening of the scope for when someone may be considered a student, but acknowledge further work needs to be done in deciding what that may look like.  

Currently students have 12 months from their case formally concluding with the University, to then take their case to the OIA. The proposal is to change this to 6 months. Largely this is because students usually take an average of 99 days to take their case to the OIA, but also because the fresher the complaint is, the easier it can be to consider workable solutions for the student. Although this is true, we wanted to raise concerns that for some students, they may have come out of what has already have been a lengthy University process that they have found stressful, and often because they have experienced something difficult or traumatic in their lives. Arguably some students may need time to recover before submitting their case to the OIA for review, and in these circumstances, 6 months may just not be long enough.” 

The consultation is still open, so we would encourage students to provide their thoughts on the proposals via the Online Consultation Form.  

Further to this the OIA are also looking for students to take part in a Student Discussion Group. £25 vouchers are available to those who take part as a gesture of good will.