ANNUAL REPORT 2025 - Sharing learning from complaints

We use the insights from our data, external interactions with students, providers and student representative bodies (SRBs) and casework reflections to learn from complaints. This helps us understand emerging issues and trends in what matters most to students. It also helps us develop and share good practice across the sector and improve the student experience.

Casework notes and case summaries

We publish case summaries of complaints we have reviewed to help draw out themes and show patterns in where issues might arise and how we consider such issues. All summaries are carefully anonymised so that individual students and providers cannot be identified. Alongside these summaries, we also publish casework notes to share learning from groups of related complaints and highlight emerging themes in our casework. Together, these resources are intended to support reflection across the sector by making our reasoning transparent and illustrate how principles of fairness apply in practice. They sit alongside our Good Practice Framework, contributing to our wider work to promote effective complaint handling.

In 2025 in addition to the public interest case summaries, we also published case summaries and casework notes on two areas where the complaints we’ve seen have indicated evolving challenges for providers and students.

The first was on the theme of complaints relating to harassment and sexual misconduct. This draws together learning from cases involving how providers respond to reports of harassment and sexual misconduct and the processes used to investigate and determine those complaints. We emphasised the importance of fair procedures for all, clear communications about expectations and processes, and sensitive handling of complex and highly personal situations.

The second was on the theme of complaints relating to AI and academic misconduct, drawing on a small but growing number of cases where use of AI has been challenged through internal academic misconduct processes. We reflected on the importance of clarity and transparency in how providers define acceptable use of AI, and in how they explain and evidence allegations to students.

Good Practice Framework

In 2025 we developed and consulted on a new section of the Good Practice Framework about responding to complaints about harassment and sexual misconduct.

To inform the draft we sought views from a wide range of providers and SRBs, including both large and small or specialist institutions. We also engaged with sector organisations and independent experts in this area and were advised by a Steering Group with specific expertise in harassment and sexual misconduct cases.

We are grateful for the time individuals and organisations have taken to share their expertise and work collaboratively with us in producing this guidance. In 2026 we will consider the responses to our formal consultation and additional feedback before we finalise the section for publication.

Outreach activities

Our outreach activities in 2025 included webinars, workshops, discussion groups, contributions to external events, visits to providers and SRBs, as well as individual conversations with providers and SRBs. Listening to perspectives beyond the issues directly arising in the cases we review is central to these engagements. It helps us to understand barriers students face in using formal processes as well as better understand the challenges providers are experiencing. We also share good practice and learn from providers’ and SRBs’ examples of good practice and innovation, feeding these insights back into our casework and wider guidance.

Workshops, webinars and external events

In 2025, we delivered webinars aimed at staff within providers and staff and student officers within SRBs, covering a range of topics including more information about us, accommodation complaints, service issues and academic disciplinary matters. Attendance with our webinars increased significantly with 1,009 participants joining us in 2025, compared with 589 joining us in 2024.

We held two online workshops for SRBs, attended by 111 participants. These sessions included updates on our casework and guidance, and exploration of case studies about complaints from disabled students, harassment and sexual misconduct and complaints related to student activities. Taking account of feedback from 2024, we built in more time for discussion during these sessions, as participants often say they value the opportunity to hear how colleagues at other institutions approach similar issues and to share experiences and good practice.

We participated in a range of external events to share good practice, extend our own knowledge and keep in touch with sector development. We spoke at 21 events hosted by different organisations including the Academic Registrar’s Council (ARC), Universities UK (UUK), UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), National Union of Students (NUS), Independent HE, Guild HE and the Association of Colleges. We contributed to discussions on issues such as complaints and appeals practice, the international student experience, disabled students’ experiences, financial sustainability and harassment and sexual misconduct.

Discussion groups

We held 18 themed discussion groups with providers, students and student advisers. Some discussion groups also supported specific work, including the development of the new Good Practice Framework section about harassment and sexual misconduct. 

Students shared a range of experiences with us, including positive examples of support and representation. Students also told us about challenges navigating additional consideration processes, particularly around evidential requirements and delays in receiving outcomes. Some students described the pressure of balancing study (including remedial assessments) with paid work commitments, the latter being essential to support themselves financially. For some international students in particular, missing paid working hours was not a realistic option. This added to their stress when decisions affecting their assessments were communicated close to deadlines.

Discussion groups with disabled students highlighted some progress towards more inclusive teaching and assessment practices. But students flagged ongoing concerns about the complexity of obtaining diagnoses and reasonable adjustments, as well as physical access barriers on campus.

Our discussion groups with providers and student advisers explored operational challenges such as assessing evidence submitted in support of additional consideration requests and responding to suspected fraudulent evidence. Participants also discussed the impact of wider sector pressures, including staffing changes and resource constraints on student-facing processes and services, whilst sharing different approaches and examples of practice across institutions. 

Visits

In 2025 we continued to visit providers and SRBs, usually meeting with case-handling teams as well as staff supporting disabled students. We visited a number of Welsh FE providers in preparation for our expanding remit. We also targeted some providers with lower than anticipated numbers of complaints to the OIA, to identify any areas of good practice. We also wanted to identify barriers to engagement with the OIA and gather feedback to improve our guidance, outreach and support.

We explored a number of areas and emerging issues with those we met on our visits. Some of the visits highlighted challenges providers face in balancing growing demand for individualised support from an increasing number of disabled students against limited resources. The ongoing implementation of the Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance continues to be a significant challenge for many. We heard how staff are often stretched across multiple roles, with recruitment freezes adding pressure on services. We also explored how providers are responding to the rise of AI, both in how students use it in academic work and in preparation of complaints and appeals, as well as how providers are utilising it themselves to improve efficiency.

If you have any questions about good practice, the Scheme or would like to have a conversation with us about emerging issues you are welcome to get in touch. You can contact our dedicated outreach team on: outreach@oiahe.org.uk.

Advisory Panels

We have two advisory panels which meet twice a year. Our case-handling staff can also put questions to Panel members outside of these meetings for their expert input.

The Panels do not see or make decisions on individual complaints. They are designed to act as a general sounding board to guide us about common sector practice and as a thermometer to help us gauge current concerns and identify emerging issues.

Higher Education Advisory Panel

This year our Higher Education Advisory Panel (HEAP) explored issues and patterns in complaints as well as exploring the impact of financial and other pressures in the sector and the effect of cuts or changes to staff, services and course offerings, and how they’re affecting students and complaints. We also sought their views on the development of our new section of the Good Practice Framework: Handling reports of harassment and sexual misconduct.

Panel members come from a range of providers and SRBs that reflect the diverse membership of our Scheme in terms of type, size, location, student population and course offering.

HEAP Panel members during 2025:

• Adrian Spence, Head of Advice, Wellbeing and Accommodation Support, Aston Students’ Union, Birmingham
• Carmen Neagoe, Head of Educational and Teaching Support, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge
• Cat Turhan, Director of Membership Services, Imperial College Union
• Charlotte Levy, Assistant Registrar in Examinations, Conferment & Award, University of West London
• Claire Blanchard, Partnership Lead, University of Wales Trinity Saint David
• Dr Mark Hollingsworth, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, City St Georges, University of London
• Dr Nathan Morris, Senior Assistant Registrar (Student Complaints), University of Warwick
• Melissa Reilly, Head of Student Support, University Academy 92 (UA92)
• Nicholas Whitehouse, Coordinator, Mixed Economy Group of Colleges
• Zoë Allman, Associate Dean (Education), De Montfort University

Disability Experts Panel

Our Disability Experts Panel (DEP) is made up of disability practitioners and experts in disability matters from specialist organisations and higher education providers. In 2025, we recruited to the Panel to replace members whose term expired. In doing so, we sought to strengthen subject areas related to small and specialist (including medical) providers, expertise in neurodiversity, mental health or fluctuating long term conditions and safeguarding. We welcome the expertise of our new members.

This year the DEP reported that delays with the process of applying for Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) funding persist, and panel members expressed concerns about the quality and consistency of needs assessment processes. The DEP also discussed how resourcing reasonable adjustments that are not fully funded by the DSA is becoming an ever-increasing challenge for providers. The Panel helped us to keep up to date on ongoing work in the sector to support providers to understand the difference between competence standards and assessment methods, so that reasonable adjustments are made in line with law whilst maintaining academic integrity.

DEP panel members during 2025 were:

• Alice Speller, Chief Executive, National Association of Disability Practitioners
• Professor Carol Evans, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Education and Student Experience, University of Salford
• Donnie McCormick, Founder & Managing Director, Safeguarding HE
• Harriet Cannon, Assistant Head of Disability Support, University of Leeds
• Helen Childs, Head of Disability, Specific Learning Difficulties and Neurodiversity, Student Services, University of Kent
• Laura Nettell, Head of Student Wellbeing, University of Gloucestershire
• Lucy Merritt, Education Policy Manager, Thomas Pocklington Trust
• Nicola Mason, Influencing and Advocacy Lead, Student Minds
• Phil Scarffe, Head of Student Experience and Wellbeing, University of Birmingham Dubai
• Rebecca Bouckley, Student Support and Engagement Manager, The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust