How well do further education institutions manage learner complaints? – May 2015

Recommendations

The Welsh Government should:

• publish further guidance to help institutions develop their learner complaints procedures, including definitions of particular types of complaints
• ensure that the annual Learner Voice Wales survey adequately captures learners’ experiences of making complaints and their satisfaction with the process
• work with the sector to consider the feasibility of an external appeals body for post-16 FE learners in Wales, with powers to review student complaints and their outcomes
   

Institutions should:

• take forward the issues identified by the NUS in their 2011 report on student complaints
• make sure that all materials about how to make a complaint are easily available through the public-facing sections of their websites, and are also available through the medium of Welsh
• require senior managers to check on how consistently and rigorously investigations of complaints are carried out by all their staff, and across all campus sites
• train all staff and learner representatives in the management of the institution’s complaints procedures
• make sure that mechanisms are in place to differentiate between low-level and more serious complaints, and record all complaints, whether made orally or in writing
• use all the evidence available, including learner feedback, to inform the in-depth analysis of the quality of the complaints policy and procedures, as well as the patterns, trends and underlying reasons for complaints to inform quality systems and strategic planning