Apprenticeships Appeals Procedure
The Appeals Procedure should be applied in the event that you are dissatisfied with the decisions made or feedback given by a Kaplan employee (usually, but not limited to, a Talent Coach or Internal Quality Assurer) at any stage of your programme prior to completing End Point Assessment (EPA).
There are 3 stages in the appeals procedure and each stage must be followed through before proceeding to the next one. You are advised to keep your own copies of all documents used in any appeals made.
The main reasons for an appeal are likely to be (but not limited to):
- You do not understand why you are not yet deemed ready to progress to EPA from the feedback provided by the Talent Coach or other delivery staff
- You believe you are ready to progress to EPA and that your Talent Coach has misjudged or failed to take into account all the available evidence
- You disagree with ongoing decisions/feedback relating to portfolio building or other programme criteria
- You disagree with any internal quality assurance decisions made in relation to your programme evidence or achievement of a supporting qualification
Please note: where an appeal relates to the outcome of an End Point Assessment, this will need to be addressed with the relevant End Point Assessment Organisation, details for which can be found at the end of this document.
Procedure
Stage 1
In the first instance and where appropriate you should try to resolve the issue with the Talent Coach. The appeal must be in writing and clearly indicate:
- An outline of the reason for appeal
- The evidence relating to the disputed decision or feedback and summary of your claims to the contrary
A written response from the Talent Coach to you will be provided within 5 working days of the appeal being received.
Stage 2
Where you are not satisfied with the outcome of Stage 1, you should progress the appeal to your Talent Coach’s Internal Quality Assurer. This should be done in writing, but you do not need to repeat the detail provided at Stage 1 as all existing documentation relating to the appeal will be forwarded to the Internal Quality Assurer.
The Talent Coach will provide this information to you on request.
The Internal Quality Assurer will contact you within 5 working days of receiving the Stage 2 appeal to arrange a meeting to discuss the issue(s). The issue(s) will be considered fully and the decision made will be notified to all parties within 5 working days.
Stage 3
If the appeal is not resolved at Stage 2, then the Internal Quality Assurer will notify the Quality Manager.
The Quality Assurance Manager will contact you within 5 working days of receiving the Stage 3 appeal to arrange a meeting to discuss the appeal. The appeal will be considered fully and the decision made will be notified to all parties involved within 5 working days.
In the majority of cases this will conclude the appeals process. The exception to this is where the appeal relates to evidence towards an approved qualification that is certificated through an awarding organisation such as City and Guilds or ILM. In these instances the appeal could be escalated to the awarding organisation. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of stage 3 and wish to escalate the appeal, all details will be provided on request.
End Point Assessment Appeals
Where an appeal relates to an End Point Assessment outcome, you should contact your Talent Coach. Appeal windows vary for different EPA Organisations so this should be raised with your Talent coach at the first opportunity and no later than five working days after receiving the result. Where there is a valid reason for appeal, the supporting evidence will be reviewed by the Quality Team. If the Quality Team agrees that there are grounds for an appeal, Kaplan will support you through this process and contact the relevant EPA Organisation.
If after reviewing the evidence the Quality Team does not feel that there are sufficient grounds for a successful appeal you can still proceed with an appeal with the relevant EPA Organisation. However, your decision to appeal will not be supported by Kaplan. If you decide to proceed, the appeal should then be taken up with the relevant EPA Organisation.
Details of their procedures including timeframes for appealing outcomes, can be found at the following links. If you are not sure which End Point Assessment Organisation you need to contact, please ask your Talent Coach.
If your end point assessment organisation is not listed above, please speak to your Talent Coach who will assist you.
Other Externally Assessed Units or Exams
If your appeal is regarding an externally assessed unit or exam, the appeal will normally need to be made directly to the organisation that conducted the assessment. In such instances, guidance and contact information will be provided through your Talent Coach or Tutor.
Appeals in Scottish Centres
Escalation to SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority)
Learners undertaking qualifications through SQA have the right to complain to the SQA awarding body, if Kaplan’s appeals procedure has not addressed the situation to their satisfaction.
Relevant details will be provided on request.
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