What information should the COP Letter contain?
10The information in the COP Letter helps us to ensure that the complaint we review reflects the issues the provider has considered.
The COP Letter should contain:
- A summary of the complaint or appeal the student has made to the provider;
- The title and year/version of the regulations/procedures that were applied;
- A summary of the issues considered at the final stage of the internal procedures;
- The final decision taken by the provider;
- The reasons for that decision;
- Information about the role of the OIA;
- The deadline for bringing a complaint to us.
Providers may also find it helpful to include a summary of issues which were raised but not pursued by the student, to identify any issues that have not completed its internal procedures.
The COP Letter should also draw the student’s attention to any factors which the provider is aware of that mean that it is particularly important for the student to bring the complaint promptly. Examples of such factors are:
- The student is subject to deadlines for completing the course;
- The course or module the student is studying is being discontinued, or the programme is in teach out;
- The remedy the student is seeking will be impossible to implement after a certain date;
- The student has indicated that they intend to bring judicial review proceedings against the provider if they are dissatisfied with the outcome of our review.