Complaints and Appeals Procedure

General

All complaints and appeals regarding assessments will be dealt with in terms of the Complaints and Appeals Procedure.
The School seeks to prevent appeals by ensuring that students are satisfied with their course and its outcomes. In addition to their functional expertise, staff is expected to be fair, courteous and helpful in all dealings with students.
Any complaint about a staff member or program, or appeal against an assessment, will be treated seriously, investigated thoroughly and dealt with according to the merit of the complaint or appeal.
The circumstances and results of any complaint or appeal will be considered by senior management to remove any underlying reasons for continued difficulty by the complainant or other students.
All complaints and appeals are taken seriously and their findings incorporated into procedures, as appropriate, in accordance with the School’s continuous improvement practices.
The School abides by freedom of information and privacy principles.

Process

A student may make a complaint if they believe that they have been discriminated against or harassed, or have believe some other unfair or unlawful event has occureed.

A student may make an appeal to requests a review of decisions, including assessment decisions, made by the School or a third party providing services on behalf of the School.

If a student believes that they have grounds for a complaint or appeal they should immediately report the complaint or appeal using the procedure below.

Step 1: Students should approach their tutor with their complaint or appeal and explain clearly the problem or the reason for their dissatisfaction, so that the tutor can attempt to resolve the matter.

Step 2: If a student is dissatisfied with the way in which the complaint or appeal was handled, or with the outcome, they should speak with a School Director, if they have not done so previously. The Director will identify the main issues of the complaint and/or appeal and will attempt to resolve the matter.

Step 3: If a student still believes they have grounds and are dissatisfied with the outcome and/or the process that was followed in the attempt to satisfactorily resolve the matter, they are to lodge their complaint in writing.  The complaint should be submitted via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. which will automatically be directed to the Managing Director and Studio Manager only. The title of the email should start with the words Formal Complaint ... OR Formal Appeal ... as applicable.

a) For appeals regarding with assessments – the Director will convene a review panel as soon as possible but no longer tha 10 days comprising the Director and an independent assessor (one who has not previously assessed the student) and review the assessment in dispute. The student will be advised in writing of the outcome of the review and the courses of action available to them if they still dispute the assessment.

b) For complaints regarding other matters – the Director will convene a review panel comprising the Manager and a member of the School, other than one previously involved or associated with the complaint/dispute, to investigate the student's complaint and will inform the student in writing of the findings of the review panel and the courses of action available to them if they are still dissatisfied.

c) Complaints and requests for an appeal are acknowledged in writing and finalised as soon as practicable. If more than 60 calendar days are required to process and finalise the complaint or appeal, the School will:
i) inform the complainant or appellant in writing, including reasons why more than 60 calendar days are required, and
ii) regularly update the complainant or appellant on the progress of the matter

You may be accompanied by a support person at any stage in the Complaint or Appeal process.

Note: Harassment is any conduct that is unwelcome, demeaning, unreciprocated, intimidating and/or offensive to an individual or group. Under Federal and NSW State legislation it is unlawful to harass or discriminate against any person on the grounds of:

•  Cultural or ethnic background
• Sexual preference
• Gender
• Age
• Marital status
• HIV/AIDS status
• Physical or intellectual disability
• Pregnancy
• Carer responsibilities
• Transgender